A Fortuitous Infatuation
by Paradisiac Megane
Summary: Oh no, I'm lost…' A young kitsune murmured as she stepped into a large clearing, clutching her chest. A large, bloody gash lay there, and it seemed that the bleeding wouldn't stop. BEING REVISED!
1. My name is Rei

Disclaimer: sigh I don't own Inuyasha, lucky for Mrs. Takahashi… Oh well, I OWN THIS STORY!!!

Konnichiwa! Yes, I know I didn't finish my other story, but I had no idea what to write next, so here's a new story that I made up in class! ENJOY!

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Chapter 1

"Oh no, I'm lost…" A young kitsune murmured as she stepped into a large clearing, clutching her chest.

A large, bloody gash lay there, and it seemed that the bleeding wouldn't stop. The kitsune woman staggered to a giant tree and sat on one of its large roots, breathing heavily. Her vision was blurring, and the pain was becoming unbearable. Removing her hand from the wound, she grimaced in pain as the cold air cut through her and hastily placed her arm back around her chest.

"Damn, I shouldn't have let him sneak up on me…"

She leaned up against the tree and looked up to the sky. As soon as she did that, her vision began to blur. _"So…weak, I can't hold on that much longer..."_ she thought, but that only made her head hurt.

CRACK

Something far from her current position made the kitsune tense, her ears perked. Someone was coming…

"Inuyasha," a voice squeaked.

"Ne?" another voice growled.

"Why are we going back to Kaede-baba's village? We just left."

"There's a strong scent of blood nearby, so we might as well check it out."

The kitsune tried to get up and hide, but her body wouldn't move. Her vision was getting worse by the second, as was her wound. Hopefully, they wouldn't kill her… As she started to feel consciousness slipping out of her grasp, a head appeared in her line of vision.

"This is definitely where the scent of blood came from." The head said, it was the growling voice from before.

"Oh no, she's badly injured. We should take her to Kaede-baachan." Another voice whispered, it seemed to be a girl.

"Hai, that seems reasonable, I'll carry her!" a sly voice said, with a slightly perverted tone. (What a lecherous monk…--)

"NO!" came an angry woman's voice. "You are not to lay a single one of your hentai fingers on her!"

There was a sigh, before the head that lay in front of the kitsune picked her up and carry her, bridal style. Then, she fainted.

* * *

The kitsune slowly opened her eyes and yawned. _"This futon is so nice… Wait…nani?"_ She instantly sat up, quickly regretting it as the pain of her wound forced her back down. This time, she got up slowly and looked around, she seemed to be in a small hut. Remembering her wound, she looked down and saw a white bandage with tiny red spots tied around her chest. Someone had healed her wounds, but who? _"Wait, I'm not wearing…anything!" _

Her cheeks became tinged with pink as she thought of the young man from earlier. _"Did he…do this?" _Shaking the thought out of her head, she stood up to see that a simple, yet beautiful crimson kimono with black Chinese dragons running up the sides had been laid out for her. Sighing, she carefully put it on, minding her wound, and walked outside.

The kitsune walked through the village and examined the premise. The villagers either stared at her strangely, or waved politely. _"Huh, why don't they run or scream? Most ningens would be afraid of me…"_ She walked out of the village and into the forest, coming upon an odd group.

"- woken up yet?" a voice said.

The crimson-haired kitsune walked closer to the voice and saw the group who had saved her before. A female demon slayer, male monk, a young girl in strange clothes, and 2 demons, a small kitsune child, and a male inu youkai. An odd company.

"You can come out, girl, I know you're there." The inu youkai snapped.

The kitsune walked out from behind the trees and cautiously walked up to the group.

"Don't mind him, are you feeling better?" the strangely dressed girl asked.

"Yes, Thanks for helping me out, but who are you?"

The demon slayer smiled.

"I'm Sango. The monk there is Miroku, the inu youkai is Inuyasha, she is Kagome, and the kitsune youkai is Shippo."

Everyone replied with a smile or a grunt in Inuyashas case. The kitsune smiled back and introduced herself.

"I'm Rei, it's nice to meet you all."

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Well, how'd you like it? Yeah, it's pretty short, but other chappies might be longer. Please review!! Ja ne!


	2. What Happened To You?

Disclaimer: sigh I still don't own Inuyasha. I'll buy it from Rumiko….on EBAY!!

Chapter 2

Ohayo gozaimasu! This is the second chappie of Nani?! Arranged?! I hope you liked the first chapter. Hopefully this one will be long enough…

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So, Rei," Inuyasha began, jerking his head towards her. "What happened to you?" 

Everyone was in the hut that Rei had woken up in earlier. They informed her that she was in Kaede's house. Who she was, Rei didn't know.

"Well, I was on a walk, when I was attacked by a giant mantis demon. I tried to fight it, but couldn't hold it off and it injured me."

"Oh, so where do you live?" Miroku asked. "Maybe we could take you home."

Rei paused for a minute before sighing.

"I live in the Eastern Lands…"

This conversation went on for a few minutes before an old lady walked in. The others seemed to recognize her, and didn't bother to tell Rei who she was. (Nice guys…-.-')

"Ahh, so the kitsune is awake? How are ye feeling?"

"I'm fine, but who are you?" Rei asked.

"Oh, forgive my manners. I am Kaede."

Rei bowed. "Thank you for healing me, but I regret to say, that I must go. Please don't trouble yourselves to take me home. I'm sorry for troubling you."

Miroku stood up and quickly appeared right in front of her. He grabbed her hand and put it close to his heart.

"Please, Rei. Don't leave, we would love to take you home, it's no trouble."

"But, you don't want to take me all the way there do you? I mean, it's very dangerous!"

Inuyasha and Kagome stood up, Kagome shaking her head. "It's no problem, with that wound, you shouldn't be fighting anything." she said.

"Oh, alright." Rei sighed, in defeat.

Kagome smiled and pulled Rei over to the door. "Come on, I need to change your bandages first before we leave. Follow me. Are you coming, Sango?"

"Yes. Hold on." Sango said, getting up.

Rei nodded and followed Kagome to the nearby waterfall.

"Ok, undress and get inside the water. We'll let the water clean your wound and then bandage it back up." Kagome commanded.

Nodding once more, Rei undressed and waded into the water, flinching as the cold water splashed upon her body. She swam to the middle of the lake and sighed.

"This is so relaxing…" she murmured, sinking beneath the surface.

* * *

Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo were back at Kaede's house, talking about Rei. 

"She is so beautiful," Miroku said.

Inuyasha ignored him and stated,

"Something about her story isn't right…why would anyone take a walk from the Eastern Lands, over here? And that wound definitely didn't come from a mantis demon, more likely claws or something."

"Yes, it does seem likely, but if that's true, why would Rei lie to us?" Shippo asked.

"Have you noticed how her body moves in its vixenish way? When every her tail swings, so do her hips!" Miroku said.

"Maybe after we return Rei home, she can tell us the truth." Shippo squeaked.

"Yeah, and maybe we could stay a few days….get to know her better…" Miroku added.

WHACK

Inuyasha glared at Miroku.

"We're not staying, and you're not going to touch Rei! Understand?"

Miroku nodded sadly, a bump rising on his head. A few minutes later, the girls returned, with Rei squeezing the remnants of water out of her locks. It seemed like Miroku had forgotten what he and Inuyasha had just talked about because as soon as the girls entered the hut, Miroku grabbed Reis hands and stared at her, a determined look on his face.

"Rei, I have a question for you of the utmost importance."

Rei glanced at her hand and lightly shook it, trying to shake his hand off.

"What is it?"

"Will you be the lucky woman….to bear my children?"

"Wha -? Um…well…uh…" she stammered, blushing furiously.

GIANT WHACK

A boomerang lay on top of Mirokus head, and he knew who it belonged to.

"Back off of Rei you lech!" Sango yelled.

Kagome, Inuyasha, and Shippo shook their heads. Rei looked at the group, bewildered.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Well, Miroku is an extremely perverted monk, so watch your back. Literally." Shippo answered.

_"This is a very strange group…"_ Rei thought.

Miroku sighed, pulling the boomerang off his head, revealing not one, but two giant bumps on his head.

"I'm sorry, Rei-sama. I just can't control myself around beautiful women."

"As if, I bet you could if you tried." Inuyasha muttered.

Kaede then came walking up to the group.

"I thought that ye should at least have a weapon, Rei." She said, handing her a pair of double-sided katanas.

"Arigato, Kaede-baachan. I will use these well."

"Ok, enough of this shit. Let's go!" Inuyasha snapped.

And so, the group walked off, Inuyasha in the lead, Miroku and Sango next to each other, and Kagome, Shippo and Rei in the back. Shippo seemed to have taken a liking into Rei, seeing that she was also a kitsune, and thought of her as a motherly figure, and sat on her shoulder.

"Ok, onward to the Eastern Lands!" he squealed.

So they began their long walk to the Eastern Lands, unknowing that farther away, someone was plotting against them.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Yes, it's a bit longer than the last one, so maybe it's more interesting. Please send reviews quickly. Or else no more stories!! dodges an Inu plushie as it is thrown at herOk, ok, maybe I'll write more…. Ja ne! 


	3. A Confession

Disclaimer: sigh I still don't own Inuyasha. I'll buy it from Rumiko….on EBAY!!

Chapter 3

Konnichiwa! How is everybody, yes this is the fastest I've every written any story. Watch it get slow as I pass chapter 4. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the last chapter.

Thanks For Reviews To: katz315 and myself!!! Yes, I sent myself a review…so what?

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An inu youkai stood on top of a grassy hill, an emotionless expression on his face. He seemed to be looking far away, deep in thought.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Sesshomaru-sama! Please don't leave me behind!" came a high-pitched, squeaky, and irritating voice.

A small toad demon ran up beside the inu youkai, Sesshomaru. Following him, was a young ningen girl, holding the reins of a two-headed dragon.

"Silence, Jaken. I'll be leaving soon, take Rin and go." The inu coldy stated.

Jaken, the toad demon, shut-up fast, frowning slightly. The little girl, Rin just beamed at him, skipping off with the dragon.

"Wait for me!!!" Jaken screeched at the girl.

"Just you wait, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru murmured. "I will have the Tetsusaiga…"

And with those words said, he walked to his wards and motioned for them to follow him.

* * *

Inu-tachi was on the move again, Inuyasha and Rei, with Shippo on her shoulder, in the front, Sango, Miroku, and Kagome in the back. 

"Hey, Rei," Shippo suddenly asked.

"Yes?"

"I still don't understand, why did you go for a walk all the way out here?"

Rei tensed, but it faded as quickly as it came.

"I just felt…like going on a long walk."

She smiled, a fake smile. _"I can never tell them what really happened…ever"_

Inuyasha glanced over at Rei with curiosity and concern. _"She's not telling us something." _He thought.

After that, they walked in silence until Inuyasha stopped.

"Let's rest here for now." He said.

After everyone had settled down and got a fire started, night began to fall. Kagome pulled out her giant backpack and made ramen for everyone. By the time the sky was covered in complete darkness, the food was ready to be eaten.

"So, Rei, how far must we go to reach your home?" Miroku asked.

"Not very far. It's only a few miles away…" she answered.

She seemed hesitant to go back, which Inuyasha could see just by looking at her. He stood up and walked to Rei, holding out his hand.

"Hey, can you come with me for a second; I need to talk to you."

"Yeah...sure." Rei said, grabbing Inuyasha's hand.

He helped her stand up, and led her far from the camp, stopping when he felt that he was out of hearing range.

* * *

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Rei asked, crossing her arms.

"Why are you really here? And tell the truth, I know that you're lying to all of us!"

"W-What?!" Rei stammered. "I told you already, I came to fight demons!"

"I thought you came out here for a walk? Quit lying, and tell me the truth!! That wound didn't come from a demon, most likely from a sword!" Inuyasha snapped, becoming angry.

Rei started to panic, and blurted out her story.

"A-Alright! I am Rei, heir to the throne in the Eastern Lands. My parents are the Lord and Lady, since they are coming along in years, I have to become Lady, but in order for that to happen, I have to be married! So, my parents arranged a marriage for me, but I don't even know the guy! I mean, how are we supposed to spend all of our life together, if we don't even know each others names, or anything else? So, I ran away from home to clear my thoughts, only to be gone for longer than I expected and was attacked by my fathers guards, ran away, and ended up somewhere near where you found me..."

Inuyasha stared at Rei, surprised. This kitsune had poured her heart out to him, and he didn't know what to do. Rei had now started to cry silently and fell to the ground, her crimson hair covering her face.

"D-Don't cry, um...it's alright." He said. _"Damn, I'm not good at this..."_ he thought.

Doing what he felt was perfect at the time; Inuyasha kneeled down to Rei and pushed her hair out of her face. She looked up at him slowly, before he claimed her lips in a passionate, but innocent kiss. Surprised, Rei let out a small gasp, but didn'tmove. _"Wait a minute...did he just..." she thought_After a moment, Inuyasha broke the kiss and blushed lightly.

"Sorry. At least that made you stop crying."

Rei nodded and stared at the ground, her hair covering her face, which was turning as red as her hair, once again.

"But still, maybe you should talk to your parents first about this wedding stuff. I mean, it couldn't hurt?" he said.

"Maybe, but I'll decide as soon as I get home..." she agreed, standing up. "Thanks, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha just grunted and started to walk back to the others. Rei followed, touching her lips slightly, they were swollen a bit, but not too much. When the two got back to the camp, everyone was talking about some random thing, they didn't ask about what Inuyasha and Rei talked about, and the duo didn't bring it up.

"Alright, we should get some rest." Kagome announced.

"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed.

And with that, everyone laid down where they were, Shippo running over to Rei and cuddling into her chest, falling asleep immediately. Kagome and Inuyasha slept next to each other, and Miroku and Sango slept close, but not to close, to each other.

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Well, that was chapter 3, I hope you enjoyed it... I haven't been getting many reviews lately...do you hate my story?! Fine then, forget you all!! dodges a Sesshy plushie as it is thrown Ok, ok...maybe I'll write more, but please send reviews!!!


	4. Welcome

Disclaimer: sigh I don't own Inuyasha....

Konnichiwa everyone. It's Christmas, so this is will be your Christmas present from me to you. I hope you like it, and you had better like it if you don't!! dodges a chair HAHAHAHA!!! YOU MISSED!!!

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Chapter 4

(The Next Day)

After everyone woke up, they were on their way again. Inuyasha and Kagome in front, Miroku and Sango in the middle, and Rei and Shippo in the back.

"Oh, we're almost there!" Rei chirped.

"Alright," Inuyasha said.

Silence settled down between the front of the group as Shippo and Rei quietly held a conversation.

"Okasan," Shippo began, he had started to call Rei, mother, just that morning.

"Yes, Shippo?"

"When we get to the Eastern Lands...can I stay with you...as your son?"

Rei smiled and hugged the little kitsune. "Of course, my little musuko."

Shippo beamed at her and grabbed her hand, swinging it back and forth. Kagome watched this and smiled. They were getting along well, Rei and Shippo. Most likely because of the fact that they're both kitsunes and Rei's maternal instincts made her more like his mom.

As afternoon approached the group arrived at a small hut, about the size of Kaeades. An old femal kitsune youkai stood outside, looking towards the sky.

"Karia-sama! Karia-sama!" Rei suddenl;y shouted.

The kitsune turned around and smiled. Rei ran to her and embraced the old kitsune, her tail wagging happily.

"Rei-san! Where have you been? You parents have been worried sick about you! There were search parties and everything sent out to find you!"

Inuyasha and the others walked up and stared in wonder. Rei glanced at Karia, a pleading look on her face. Karia noticed it and smiled, nodding slightly.

"I see you have some friends," she said. "Well, if you're going home, it has begun to snow already and the festival will start tomorrow."

"What? Already? I guess I have to go back now." Rei said.

"Alright, you'd better hurry!"

Karia walked into her house, leaving the group to contemplate about what just happened.

"Festival? What festival?" Shippo asked.

"Oh...it's a festival to celebrate...the heir of the Eastern Lands wedding, so she can become Lady." Rei explained.

"Wow, I would love to meet the Lady of the Eastern Lands! She sounds like a fairytale princess!" Kagome squealed.

"Fairy...tale?" Rei, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo asked in unison.

"Never mind..."

Inuyasha glanced at Rei uncertainly, before returning his gaze ahead of him. _"I hope she tells them the truth soon. I don't think I can keep her secret for much longer."_

"Alright, let's get moving." He said.

Nodding, everyone followed Inuyasha and Rei as they led the way. Soon, the air became nippy and snow covered the ground.

"Wow, snow!" Shippo squeaked.

Letting go of Rei's hand, he began to roll up a snowball. He looked around until he set his sights on Inuyasha. Aiming carefully, he let the snowball fly, straight into the inu youkais silver locks and ran back to Rei, as if nothing happened.

WHACK

"Ow! What the hell?!" Inuyasha yelled.

He quickly turned around, glaring at everyone, who looked away and tried to keep from bursting out laughing. Adding up everything in his head, Inuyasha turned around and faced Rei and Shippo.

"...Shippo....you did this!"

BAM

Inuyasha whacked the little kitsune on the head, making him run to his 'okasan'.

"WAAAH! Inuyasha hit me!!!" he whimpered.

"It's okay, Shippo. Don't cry." Rei cooed, her maternal instincts kicking in.

She lightly kissed his forehead and hugged him, smiling. "All better?"

Shippo nodded, and jumped on the ground, grabbing Rei's hand and sticking his tongue out at Inuyasha. _"Sure wish that was me...Lucky little fox."_ Miroku thought.

"Inuyasha, OSUWARI!" Kagome yelled.

CRASH

An Inuyasha-shaped crater appeared in the snow as he crashed into it.

"Whoa, how'd you do that?" Rei asked, kneeling down to look inside the hole.

"Oh, you know the rosary around his neck? Well, it was placed on him when Kagome and Inuyasha first met, and now whenever she says 'Osuwari', that happens." Sango explained.

By this time, Inuyasha had pulled himself out of the snow and was brushing the snow off his hakama.

"Let's go already, this snow is getting on my nerves." He snapped.

They started to walk again, and approached a gigantic city. There were small houses in the front of the city. All covered in snow and icicles. Many youkais, nekos, kitsunes, and other species of demons were either in opr outside their houses. As the group passed by, the citizens turned around smiling happily. Children, waved to Rei, who waved back.

"Wow, everyone seems to know you." Sango said, in awe.

"Oh, well, my parents are well known." Rei stated.

Walking deeper into the city, the houses began to look different, like the people here were richer or something.

"Are we there yet?" Shippo asked.

Rei looked down at him with concern. Shippo seemed to be tired, so she picked him up and cradled him in her arms.

"Almost there..."

Just as she said, the group arrived at a large castle in the middle of the city. Walking to the front doors, they were confronted by a pair of neko youkai guards.

"Halt! Who are you -... Ah, Rei-sama, you have returned!" a neko said.

"Yeah," Rei said, smiling. "I also have brought some friends, so no hostility please."

The guards bowed and moved out of the way, opening the doors.

"Well, welcome to my home..." Rei announced.

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End of Chapter 4!!! I hope you enjoyed it. But, please send reviews, I won't be able to write if I get no reviews!!! Ja ne! And Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!!!


	5. Meeting with the Lord and Lady

Disclaimer: You know I don't own Inuyasha, so is there any point in saying it?

Ohayo Gozaimasu! How is everyone? I have been up since 7:00 writing this for you all, so you had better review!!!

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Chapter 5

"Wow, you live here?" Kagome queried.

The group stepped inside the large palace and looked around in awe. They seemed to be in the foyer. Two large futons sat on each side of the room, a small table in the middle. Rei sat on one of the futons, motioning for everyone else to have a seat, as the guards from the front door walked in behind them and through another set of doors leading into a large hallway.

"Now…we wait."

"Alright." The others replied in unison.

After a few of minutes of waiting, Miroku finally broke the silence.

"I'm still amazed; do your parents work here?"

"…Yes, you could say that." Rei replied, hesitating slightly.

Inuyasha stood up angrily, he couldn't take it anymore! If Rei wasn't going to tell them, he would have to.

"I'm sorry, Rei, but I can't keep your secret anymore! Everyone, listen up! Rei's parents don't just work here; they are the Lord and Lady of the Eastern Lands. It turns out that she ran away from home, she didn't take a _walk_. This whole incident started because of an arranged marriage that she didn't want to go through to become the next Lady of the Eastern Lands."

Rei stared at the tatami floor in silence. The others stared in amazement at her.

"So…the festival is for your wedding?" Miroku asked, the sadness evident on his face.

Rei nodded somberly, never removing her eyes from the floor as if it was the best thing in the world.

"Why did you lie to us?" Shippo questioned, tugging at Rei's kimono.

"…I didn't want you to worry."

"Didn't want us to worry? Why would we? You're the heir of the Eastern Lands! I admit that your wounds had us a little scared, but that was it." Sango said, reassuringly.

"So, you're okay with me? Being what I am and all?"

"Yes, it doesn't matter that you're royalty, you'll always be Rei to us." Kagome insisted.

"And Okasan to me!" Shippo squeaked.

Rei smiled. "Thanks everyone."

All of a sudden, the guards returned. They seemed to be leading someone in.

"Now entering, Lord Kurunosuke and Lady Minamo." They said in unison.

The group stared at the door as 2 kitsunes walked in, both wearing royal robes. They stopped in the middle of the room and examined everyone before their eyes stopped on Rei.

"Rei!" Kurunosuke exclaimed.

"Aijou!" Minamo said, with as much enthusiasm as her husband.

They both ran over and embraced Rei, who didn't return it.

"Are you done yet?" she asked, pushing away from the two.

"Excuse me, but, is Rei your daughter?" Miroku asked, bowing slightly.

Kurunosuke and Minamo let go of Rei and bowed apologetically. "Yes, Rei is our daughter, thank you for returning her to us." Kurunosuke said.

"We must know your names, so we can thank you properly." Minamo added, motioning towards Inuyasha and the others.

"Ah, I am Miroku," the monk began. "The tajiya is Sango, the little kitsune is Shippo, the inu is Inuyasha and the miko is Kagome."

Kurunosuke and Minamo bowed and Inu-tachi did the same.

"Well, thank you again. Has Rei been troublesome for you? If so, we're terribly sorry." Minamo queried.

"No, she has been no trouble at all." Kagome answered, shaking her head.

"Well, as a reward, would you like to stay for awhile? They festival is tomorrow, I think you'll find it interesting."

"No, we've got th-" Inuyasha began, before he was interrupted by Miroku.

"We'd love to stay, thank you for your hospitality."

Kurunosuke nodded at the guards, causing them to lead Inu-tachi to their rooms, Rei and her parents not far behind. The first room they reached was a deep shade of blue, looking like the ocean itself. It was given to Kagome. Across the hall was a room colored with many different shade of pink, this was given to Sango.

Thy walked a little farther down the hall, stopping at a room that was as red as Inuyasha's hakama, of course this was given to the inu, and the last room, which was a light purplish color, was given to Miroku.

"Where am I sleeping?" Shippo asked, tugging lightly at Minamo's kimono.

"With me, my room is this way." Rei replied, showing the little kitsune to her chambers.

"I hope you enjoy it here." Kurunosuke said, bowing to everyone.

"We will, thanks again." Kagome answered, walking into her room.

* * *

As soon as Rei walked back to her parents' chambers, after dropping off Shippo in hers, she was confronted by her otousan.

"Rei, please sit down." He commanded, pointing at his bed. If I know what you're thinking right now, then please stop thinking it. Kurunosuke is not going to rape his daughter!

"What is it?" Rei asked, crossing her arms.

"It's about your marriage." Minamo replied, walking into the room. "Tomorrow is the Yomeiri Festival. You will be inaugurated the title of Lady of the Eastern Lands, then you will meet you're husband the next day." She explained, sitting next to her daughter.

"So no running away, I don't want to have to send guards after you again." Kurunosuke added.

"Oh, so they can do _this_ again?!" Rei angrily asked.

She ripped open the top of her kimono and showed her parents the bandages around her chest. Minamo gasped, but Kurunosuke was unfazed.

"I told them to bring you back any way that they could."

"So they could have brought me back dead, and you would have been happy? You selfish bastard!!" Rei yelled, storming out of the room.

Kurunosuke looked over at his wife, who avoided his eyes.

"We had to get her back, there was no other way! She's just…so stubborn…"

"Just like you?" Minamo asked, gently grabbing her husbands' hand. "You should go talk to her."

"Why, she called me a 'selfish bastard', why would she want to talk to me?"

"Well, then at least give her some time alone, she needs it."

Rei entered her room, tears rolling down her face.

"Okasan?" Shippo asked, bouncing off the bed and into her arms. "What's wrong?"

"…oh, Shippo…" Rei mumbled hugging the little kitsune tightly.

She lay on the bed, still hugging Shippo and buried her face in his hair.

"Okasan?" he questioned again, quietly.

"I don't want to talk about it…"

He nodded and cuddled into Rei's chest, letting her cry herself to sleep.

"It's going to be alright…" he squeaked.

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter; the next one might be more exciting, but then again, maybe not. Oh well, you'll just have to find out later. PLEASE REVIEW!!! Ja ne!! 

Inu-tachi means: Inuyasha and the rest of the group.


	6. A Youkai and a Hanyou How Quaint

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Konnichiwa everyone! I have changed my mind. I will update even if you don't like my story! HA, IN YOUR FACE!

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Chapter 6

That Night

Rei woke up in her room, which was pitch black, and sat up. It seemed that night had already set in. She looked down to see Shippo's small form asleep next to her and smiled, rubbing his hair gently. Silently, she slipped out of bed and into the halls. The only sound her was the silent padding of her feet and the swish of her tail.

As she passed by Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Sango's rooms, she poked her head in to make sure they were asleep. As she poked her head into Inuyasha's room, she looked at his bed to see that he wasn't in it. Walking deeper into the room, she looked around.

"Got ya'!" a voice growled.

It belonged to Inuyasha. Before Rei could react, Inuyasha has pinned her down to the floor, his claws pulled back, ready to strike.

"Oh, it's you…" Inuyasha mumbled, retracting his claws. "What're you doing in here?"

"Well, I came to check up on you, but it seems that you're ok."

"Oh, I heard someone coming down the hall, and you can't be too careful."

"I see, um…by the you get off me? You're pretty heavy."

Inuyasha looked down at Rei and the embarrassing position that they were in. He quickly scrambled off of her and sat on the bed, a light blush on his face.

"Sorry…"

Rei got up off the floor and sighed.

"So, why are you still awake?" she asked.

"Not that much of a sleeper." He answered.

"Oh, in that case, do you want to come on a walk with me?"

"Sure."

Leaving the room, they walked down the hall, but, before they could far, a small orange mass crashed into Rei's chest.

"Shippo? What're you doing here?" she gasped.

"You weren't in the room! I thought you left." He sniffed.

"Stupid kitsune…" Inuyasha murmured.

Shippo glanced over at Inuyasha and stuck his tongue at him. They continued down the hall and walked outside. Walking beyond the palace gates and the village limits, they stopped at Karia's hut. Rei knocked on the door lightly and waited for the old kitsune to open the door.

"Hello, Rei-san. What are you doing here?" she asked, motioning for the three to come inside.

"We needed a place to talk, and this is the safest place not overhead, plus I have something to ask you." Rei explained, sitting on the tatami floor, Shippo on her lap and Inuyasha on her right.

"Rei-chan?" came a voice. "Is that you?"

A young kitsune woman walked form the darkness of the hut in front of Rei, Shippo, and Inuyasha.

"Shizuka-chan? What are you doing here?" Rei asked, embracing her best friend.

"What kind of friendly greeting is that?" Shizuka questioned, throwing her arms around Rei's neck. "I came home for your wedding and Karia-baachan said I could stay with her."

Rei's face fell for a minute at the mention of her wedding, before it turned into a look of confusion.

"Wait a minute, where'd you come from?"

"My husband's place."

"NANI?! You're married?"

"No, not yet. You don't remember my fiancée, Koga, the leader of the wolf demon tribe."

"Oh, yes, I remember him now. He was always so nice!"

"You're engaged to Koga?" interrupted Inuyasha.

"Do you know him?" Shizuka and Rei asked in unison.

"Know him? He always came to bother us and talk to Kagome. I guess he stopped when you two were engaged."

"Ka…gome? Who's that?" Shizuka queried.

"She's at the castle; I'll introduce her to you later." Rei replied.

"Ok, so please, introduce me to your friends that are here now." Shizuka said, motioning towards Inuyasha and Shippo.

"Oh, this is Inuyasha, and this is Shippo." Rei explained, pointing to the two each in turn. "That reminds me, Karia-sama, my question…"

"Yes, what is it?" the old kitsune asked.

"Can you perform an adoption ceremony? I want to adopt Shippo."

Karia looked from Shippo to Rei and nodded. "Yes, I just need a few materials. Shizuka, can you get me a bowl of purified water?"

* * *

Rei and Shippo sat facing each other with the bowl of water in between them and Karia behind the bowl. Inuyasha and Shizuka were watching in awe from the sidelines.

"Alright, let's get to it. Please give me your hands."

The two kitsunes did so, flinching slightly as quickly cut a small slit in their palms with a claw, blood instantly spilling out.

"Now place them together, before the blood spills. Now, we wait."

"Wait for what?" Rei asked, but quickly realized what she meant.

A drop of her blood and Shippo's blood, mixed together, fell into the water, making it glow pink. After a few minutes, they glowing subsided, leaving the water blood red.

"Now, Rei and Shippo, you must each take a sip of the water, and the ceremony will be complete."

"Drink that? That's disgusting! No way!" Shippo whined.

"In order for the ceremony to be complete, we have to do it." Rei stated, picking up the bowl.

She took a sip of it and sat the bowl back on the ground. Karia then pushed it over to Shippo, who carefully picked it up.

"Your turn, Shippo."

Gulping slightly, Shippo placed the bowl to his lips and took a sip. Karia took it from him when he finished and handed it to Shizuka, who poured it out outside.

"Now you are my okasan!" Shippo exclaimed.

"And you are my musuko." Rei said, cradling her son in her arms and kissing him lightly on the forehead.

"Ok, enough of this." Inuyasha said, standing up.

Rei smiled apologetically and said her goodbyes to Karia and Shizuka.

"I'll see you all tomorrow." She said, waving.

She and Inuyasha left the hut and walked farther away from Karia's hut and the palace, then stopped, letting Shippo play in the snow.

"Thanks for coming with me, Inuyasha." Rei said.

"Ne?"

"Thanks for coming with me out here. I'm really grateful."

"Oh, um…you're welcome." He replied, a light blush on his face.

"A youkai and a hanyou. How quaint. I am surprised that you, Inuyasha, have gotten a kitsune wench to be your mate." Came a voice.

* * *

And that's it! I hope you liked it, and please send reviews…Sayonara!


	7. Rei, Captured

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha…..

* * *

Inuyasha and Rei turned around slowly, only to see Naraku standing behind them.

"Naraku! What're you doing here?" the inu questioned.

A devious smirk appeared on Narakus face as he completely ignored Inuyasha's question, his eyes traveling over to Rei. He examined her up and down, the smirk widening by the second. Rei tensed, momentarily making eye contact with the hanyou. His stare sent chills up her spine, before she looked away, glancing at her son.

"Shippo, I want you to go get help. Now!" she murmured.

Nodding, the little kitsune ran off towards the palace. Finally, Naraku tore his eyes away from Rei to see Shippo running off for help. He tutted and sent a tentacle after him, only to be intercepted by Rei.

"There's no way in hell that I'd let you hurt my son…" she said, ripping the appendage off and flexing her claws threateningly.

Naraku frowned lightly, his dismantled tentacle growing back immediately. "So, she has some fight in her."

"Shut up!" Inuyasha growled, pulling out the Tetsusaiga.

"Prepare to die, Naraku!" the inu yelled, charging at him.

Another smirk appeared on Narakus face, but it disappeared quickly as he saw the Tetsusaigas blade change to the color red. Inuyasha slashed at him, sending his sword to Naraku's chest.

"_Damn, he's gotten stronger. I won't last long if he hits me."_ Naraku thought.

Quickly, he dodged Inuyasha's attack and sent a tentacle at Rei and another one at Inuyasha. Rei slashed at it, grazing it lightly as it dodged her claws and wrapped around her wrists, locking them above her. The tentacle sent at Inuyasha pierced through his chest, sending the inu to the ground.

"Inuyasha! Help!" Rei shouted.

Naraku had her in front of him, a tentacle wrapped around her waist, and the other wrapped around her wrists, holding them above her head. His cold smirk returned as one of his free appendages caressed Rei's cheek gently.

"We will fight at my castle, Inuyasha. And to ensure that you do come, I will keep this kitsune wench. Her life's depending on you, Inuyasha."

And with that said, Kagura appeared from a giant gust a wind, and disappeared with Naraku.

"REI!" Inuyasha yelled, slashing at the fissure of wind.

But it was too late. Rei was long gone. Sheathing his sword, Inuyasha ran back to the palace to tell everyone the bad news.

* * *

"Where are you taking me, Naraku?" Rei questioned. She, Kagura, and Naraku had been flying for hours, and now approached a giant castle surrounded by miasma.

Naraku didn't answer, but carried her into the castle when Kagura landed her giant feather on the ground. As soon as they entered the building, he took her to a large room and threw her inside.

"I suggest that you don't leave, if you do, I will have Kagura kill you." He said.

Kagura soon appeared at the doorway after Naraku left and sent an icy glare towards Rei. Turning around, she slid that door shut and stood outside the room.

"This is great…I just had to get kidnapped. Wonderful for me…" Rei mumbled under her breath.

She stood up and looked around the room. It was empty except for a small futon. She walked over to it and sat down, bringing her knees to her chest.

"Shippo…" she murmured. "My little musuko…"

* * *

"Inuyasha! Where's Rei?" Miroku asked.

Shippo had made it to the palace and everyone followed him to the place where she and Inuyasha were fighting. They ran into Inuyasha on the way, who looked troubled.

"She…Naraku captured her…" Inuyasha replied.

"WHAT!" everyone yelled, beginning to panic.

"He escaped with Kagura before I could do anything, I'm sorry…"

"Okasan! You lost my okasan!" Shippo yelled, punching Inuyasha in the legs with his tiny fists.

"It's ok, Shippo. We'll find her…" Kagome said, gathering the little kitsune in her arms. "We'll find her…"

* * *

The door to Rei's room slid open, someone stepping into the room. Rei kept her eyes on her knees, even when she felt someone sit next to her on the futon.

"Hmm, what to do with you..."

Rei looked up slowly to see Naraku's face inches from hers. She gasped and tried to back away, only to feel the headboard of the futon behind her.

"You cannot escape, so there is no reason to think about it." Naraku said, his cool breath gently flowing down Rei's neck. Rei turned her head away, squeezing her eyes shut, he was right. She was thinking about escaping.

"G-Get away from me!" she yelled, but not as loud as she wanted it to go.

She placed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away from her, but to no avail. He leaned down, his mouth next to her ear, his cool breath, making hershiver.

"I guess I'll have to break you first, then maybe you'll listen to me."

Then, he did something unexpected. He captured Rei's lips in a forceful kiss, pushing himself against her.

"_Noo! He's...kissing me! Someone...help!"_ she yelled inside her mind.

She tried to push him away, only causing him to grab her arms and place them over her head and kiss her harder. She gasped and squeezed her eyes tighter as she felt his mouth travel down to her neck and kiss it lightly.

"Will you listen now..." he breathed.

"N-Never" Rei replied.

Naraku smiled and let go of one of Rei's hands and began to rip the fabric of her kimono, making her gasp again as she felt his mouth go lower, closer to her chest. Naraku smirked once more and stopped, leaning back from Rei. She let her arms fall to her sides and stared at Naraku, breathing heavily. Part of her hated him for doing what he did, the other wanted more.

"We'll continue this later. By that time, you'll be begging for me to break you. Now, let's go." he commanded.

Rei did not move. Naraku sent a tentacle over to Rei and picked her up by the waist, carrying her to a hut outside the castle, this one having 2 inhabitants. He threw her inside and closed the door behind him.

"Are you alright?" a small voice asked.

Rei looked around and saw that the voice belonged to a little girl. She sat up and nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine, but who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Rin. That boy over there is Kohaku. He doesn't talk much."

Rei looked over at the boy sitting in the far corner near the door. His eye had a glazed over look, like he was under some spell.

Rei smiled at him, only to have him look over and then turn away.

"You're right…" Rei murmured, turning back to Rin.

"So, what's your name? Why are you here? Do you like melons? Can I pet your tail? You're so pretty!" Rin said quickly.

"Whoa, ok…um, my name's Rei, I'm here because…I was captured by Naraku, yes I like melons, yes you can pet my tail, and thank you. You're pretty too." She replied, her mind traveling back to the scene in the bedroom with Naraku.

She was brought back to her senses as Rin's hand gently pet her tail, causing her to purr slightly. Rin giggled, causing Kohaku to look over.

"Naraku, did you think that you would defeat me by leading me here?" came a voice from outside the hut.

Rei and Rin both stood up and walked to the door. Another voice spoke also, it was Narakus.

"Heh, Sesshomaru, would you have come if I didn't? I know you're here to save your human, but she's not in the castle."

There was a pause before a squeaky voice piped up. "Yes, Sesshomaru-sama."

Rin gasped and smiled happily. "Sesshomaru-sama has come to rescue me! Rei-sama, you can come with us too! I'm sure Sesshomaru-sama will let you come!"

Rei smiled and looked back to the door, frowning slightly. All of a sudden, the door burst open, revealing a small toad demon who was standing outside.

"Jaken-sama!" Rin said.

"Rin! Let's go! Sesshomaru-sama is waiting for us!" he squeaked.

"Can Rei-sama come with us?"

"Yes, sure sure, let's just go!"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to leave." Kohaku suddenly said, standing up.

He stared at them with that blank look, pulling out his weapon. ((Don't know what it's called)) Rei stood up and ran in front of Jaken and Rin.

"You two get out of here, I'll follow after you shortly." She commanded.

With a nod, the two ran out of the hut, leaving Rei to face Kohaku. Before he could react, she slammed him into the wall, catching him before he fell to the ground.

"Sorry, but you deserved it."

And with that said, she ran out towards Rin and Jaken, who stood by Sesshomaru. Naraku was nowhere in sight. Before she could reach them, however, she was struck in the back with Kohakus weapon. She gasped and looked back as he pulled it out of her back and back to him, falling onto the ground.

"Sesshomaru-sama, can we help her? Please?" came Rin's voice.

There was no answer, but Rei felt two strong arms pick her up, and then she blacked out.

* * *

End of chappie 8! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!


	8. Life in the Castle

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

No intro today, getting straight to the story. Onward!

* * *

"-and she even let me pet her tail! She's so nice; I hope she gets better soon…"

Rei sat up from the bed she currently occupied, quickly, instantly regretting it as she was forced back down.

"You shouldn't do that, you know."

Rei sat up slower this time and looked at the source of the voice. It came from a young woman, human, by the looks of it. She sat in the corner, watching Rei, a small smile on her face.

"Who are you?" Rei questioned.

"I'm Narasu, the doctor here. Now, stay in bed, I need to change your bandages."

Rei jumped out of the bed and blushed frantically. "N-No! I can do it myself!"

Narasu stared at her and smiled. "I have been instructed by Sesshomaru-sama to take care of your wounds. It is not wise to cross him, so please let me change your bandages."

"….Fine."

Rei sat back in the bed and lifted up her torn kimono top, flinching as Narasu gently touched her wound.

"It's almost healed. Just a couple more hours and you won't need bandages anymore."

Narasu wrapped the bandages around the wound and smiled, taking a step back to admire her work.

"All done, there's some clothes for you in the closet over there. When you've finished, Sesshomaru-sama has ordered for you to meet him in the dining hall, someone will show you the way. Just ask around."

Narasu bowed and left the room, shutting the door behind her. A sigh left Rei's lips as she stepped out of the bed and walked to the closet, her nose wrinkling up in disgust. It was full of kimonos! She closed the closet doors and walked out of the room, sneaking down the hall and peering into other rooms. She finally came upon one that was a light shade of blue and peeked into the closet.

"Yes, some pants…."

She pulled out a pair of black, hakama pants and a white, tight-fitting shirt with long, voluminous sleeves. She quickly changed into the outfit and stepped out of the room, heading back down the hall. A demoness approached her and bowed slightly.

"Excuse me," Rei began, bowing also. "Can you direct me to the dining hall?"

The demoness pointed down the hall to a door on the right side and began to walk away again. Rei stared at her briefly before walking off towards the room. Entering it, she saw an inu youkai sitting at the head of a large table with Jaken and Rin sitting next to him.

"Rei-sama, you're awake!" Rin squeaked, throwing her arms around Rei's legs.

Rei smiled and patted the child on her head. Rin grabbed her hand and led her to the table, pulling a seat out for her near the inu.

"Sesshomaru-sama asked for you to sit next to him!"

Sitting down, Rei glanced at the inu, Sesshomaru, and shuddered slightly. Something about his emotionless stare frightened her. With a smile plastered on her face, Rin left the room with Jaken not far behind, grumbling incoherently. There was complete silence for a moment between Sesshomaru and Rei, before he spoke.

"Wench, why were you with Naraku?"

Rei's head shot up quickly and she sent an icy glare towards Sesshomaru.

"Wench! How dare you call me that! My name's Rei!"

Sesshomaru's face remained emotionless as he looked at Rei.

"Why were you with Naraku?" he repeated.

"Why should I tell you? If you can't even call me by my name, then we have nothing to talk about."

She stood up and walked to the door, only being able to place her hand on the knob before Sesshomaru grabbed her by the wrist and spun her around, pinning her to the door.

"You will answer my question, wench." He said, his eyes glowing threateningly.

Rei turned away and tried to pull her wrist out of his hand.

"Let go of me! I'm not telling you anything!"

The taiyoukai looked down at Rei and put a finger to her wound, pressing on it. A cry left Rei's left as the pain from her wound shot up through her body.

"S-Stop it! That hurts!"

Sesshomaru pressed harder and smirked.

"Now, answer my question."

"…I was…captured, he caught me off guard…" she replied, clenching her teeth in pain.

Sesshomaru removed his finger and took a step back, watching as Rei slid to the floor, clutching her chest. She glared up at him and stood up, turning away to leave.

"You will train with me." The taiyoukai said, stopping Rei in her tracks.

"What? Why?" she asked, turning around.

Sesshomaru didn't reply. He brushed past her into the hall, stopping momentarily.

"You will come to the grounds tomorrow; Rin will show you the way." He said, more of a command than a statement.

And, with that said he walked away. Rei watched him and continued down the hallway herself. Looking around, she tried to find a way out of the castle and away from Sesshomaru. Her search ended short as she found a door leading to a field of flowers. She stepped outside and saw Rin bent down in the river of flowers.

"_Damn, if she sees me, I've got no chance of escaping."_ She thought. Silently, she crept to the right of Rin and towards a nearby forest.

"Rei-sama! Where are you going?" Rin asked, running over to the kitsune.

Rei stopped in her tracks, silently cursing to herself. She turned around, putting on a fake smile.

"I was looking for you, are you out here picking flowers?"

"Yes, I wanted to bring them to you, do you like them?" the little girl asked, pulling out a large bouquet of flowers.

Rei nodded and took the flowers, placing one into Rin's hair. She smiled sweetly and grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her towards the castle. They both sat down on one of the many benches and chatted about random things. The flowers, where Rei came from, why the sky was blue, unknowing that they were being watched. Somewhere up above them on a ledge, stood Sesshomaru. For some reason, this kitsune intrigued him, but he didn't know why.

"_It's because you're attracted to her._"

"What? Who are you?" the taiyoukai question aloud.

"_I'm your conscience isn't it obvious?_"

"My conscience? Actually, it wasn't very obvious."

"_Really, well, anyway, back to my earlier statement. It's because you're attracted to her._"

"Hn, I've never heard anything as stupid as that," Sesshomaru thought, crossing his arms lightly over his chest

"_Really? This seems pretty obvious, the way you can't keep your eyes off of her. You know it as well as I do._"

"Silence, I, Sesshomaru, do not fall in love. It makes you weak and I am not weak."

The voice stopped talking then, and a small smirk appeared on Sesshomaru's face before quickly disappearing. With one last look at the pair below him, Sesshomaru walked off the balcony and into the castle. Back below, Rin and Rei were walking back into the castle as night fell.

"So, did you have fun today, Rin?" the kitsune asked, walking to her room.

"Yes, Rei-neechan! Tomorrow, after you train with Sesshomaru-sama, can you play with me again?"

Rei stopped in her tracks, hearing Rin call her 'sister', she smiled at the girl and nodded. "Of course, I wouldn't miss it."

They walked to her room and Rei waved to Rin as she left for her room. "_Hmm, maybe I'll enjoy it here. I guess I could stay a while._"

* * *

The Next Morning

Rei stepped out of bed to see a pair of light blue hakama pants and a light blue shirt with voluminous sleeves. Sort of like the one she wore yesterday. She began to change and examined herself in a nearby mirror.

"Hmm, this should do." she said, tying up her crimson hair into a ponytail.

Leaving the room, she walked down the hall and into the dining hall. Rin sat at the table beside Sesshomaru with Jaken sitting beside her.

"Good morning." Rei said, sitting down at the table.

"Good morning, Rei-neechan! How did you sleep?" Rin questioned.

"Fine, thanks."

A servant placed a plate of food in front of Rei and quickly walked away. She looked down at it and smiled. It was yakitori! She began to eat slowly, making sure that she acted high and mighty, similar to Sesshomaru.

"I'm finished, may I be excused Sesshomaru?" Rin asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.

"Yes, Jaken, accompany her."

The vertically challenged toad youkai followed Rin out of the room, leaving Sesshomaru and Rei in silence once more. After a few minutes, Rei finished her meal, and a servant quickly whisked it away. She kept her eyes on the table, and only lifted them when she heard the taiyoukai leave his seat.

"Come, it's time to train."

There was no room for discussion. Rei stood up and followed him to the back of the castle and into a large room. There were many weapons lined up in the room varying in size and shape, but they all looked extremely sharp.

"We will first begin with hand-to-hand combat. Prepare yourself." Sesshomaru said.

Before Rei could react, he had her pinned to the wall. She stared at him, her eyes wide in confusion.

"Hey, I wasn't ready!"

"Do you think your enemy will wait for you to prepare?"

"N-No, I guess not."

Sesshomaru backed away from Rei, giving her time to regain her composure, and then attacked her again. This time, Rei was ready. She quickly dodged his attack and sent a claw towards his back, only to have him dodge it and rake his claws across her back. With a yelp of pain, Rei fell to the floor and quickly turned around.

"I thought we were just practicing!" she snapped, glaring at the inu.

Sesshomaru did not reply. Instead, he charged at Rei once more, this time drawing his whip of light. Rei's eyes opened wide as she scrambled up off the floor, barely missing Sesshomaru's attack. She ran over to one of the weapon cases and drew a pair of katanas.

"Good, using your resources." the taiyoukai said.

He sent his whip over to her, causing Rei to block it with her katanas. This didn't last for long though. The katanas soon gave in to the force of Sesshomaru's attacks and broke in half. At the end of this session, Rei left with a few bruises here and there, but nothing serious. Sesshomaru went easy on her.

"We will train again tomorrow, until then; you may do what you want."

And with that said, he walked to his room. Rei glared at his behind his back and walked to her room, collapsing on her bed.

"So, did you have fun?" came a voice.

Rei shot up from the bed and relaxed once she saw Narasu sitting in the corner. Se shook her head and smiled.

"I ache all over. Why is he like this?"

Narasu smiled, chuckling lightly.

"I don't know, It seems he wants you to be able to defend yourself, I guess he cares about you in a way."

"Ha! Sesshomaru? Care about me? I highly doubt it."

"Well, that's just what I think." Narasu answered, shrugging. "Anyway, if you want to relax, you could go to the hot spring. It's not that far, just down the hall and outside to the right."

She threw Rei a towel and sent her out of the room. Rei smiled to her and walked down the hall and outside into the hot spring. She undressed slowly, and gently stepped into the hot spring. She sighed contentedly and leaned back.

"I really needed a trip to the hot spring; I don't think anything could ruin this…"

* * *

Ok, that's it, please send reviews! I am nothing without reviews people! It makes me think that you don't like my story if you don't review!


	9. A Day of Surprises

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, do you think I'd waste my time on making fanfictions! Really, I'd be all rich and stuff!

Thanks for the encouragement, ICYGIRL! I am happy that you guys like my story, so I will continue on! Oh, and sorry about the wait. School's killer, too much homework and crap like that. Anyway, on with the story!

* * *

Rei submerged herself underwater and sat there for a few minutes, clearing her thoughts. She soon resurfaced, pushing the wet hair out of her eyes. With a sigh, she climbed out of the spring and sat on the edge, kicking her feet gently in the water. 

"I should head back now; Rin'll want to know where I was."

She stood up and shook out her tail and ears before reaching for her towel to dry herself off. No sooner had she grabbed her towel, the door leading to the hot spring opened, and in walked Sesshomaru. They both stopped and stared at each other, a dark blush appearing on Rei's cheeks. She quickly wrapped the towel around her figure and glared at the taiyoukai.

"What's your problem, how dare you barge in here!" Rei snapped.

"If I recall, this is my castle, so I may go where I please." Sesshomaru replied.

That quickly shut Rei up. She looked down and pulled the towel around her tighter.

"Well, could you please leave for a moment? I need to change."

Sesshomaru looked at Rei for a moment, before leaving the room to wait outside. Rei quickly began to dress and left the springs, brushing past Sesshomaru as she walked to her room. He stared after her before walking into the spring.

"_Now what…I'll never live this down."_ Rei thought, as she entered her room.

She sat on her futon and jumped slightly, feeling a small lump underneath her blankets. She peeked under the blankets and saw Rin's small body curled into a ball. She seemed to be asleep. Rei smiled and pulled Rin to her. Then she placed the covers over them both and fell into a peaceful sleep with Rin cuddled into her chest.

Sesshomaru stared out the window in his study as rain started to pour. Thunder rumbled as lightning flashed. He glanced outside at the rain and down on the grounds. "_Rin might still be out there, she is quite capable of that_." he thought. Rising quickly he rushed out of his study. Something led him to Rei's room in search for Rin.

Opening the door he saw a sweet scene of Rin sleeping cuddled up to Rei. Rei had her arms wrapped around the little girl, keeping her to her chest, as if protecting her.

Softly he drew closer to them, looking over Rei to see that Rin was not wet or sick. Suddenly he heard the sound of claws being drawn and felt a sharp claw poke at his thigh. He looked at the kitsune woman, holding the still sleeping Rin to her, and having a claw pointed at his thigh, ready to stab through it. Rei's eyes were half open, her fangs bared, and her body held in a protective position over Rin, yet she was only half awake.

"_So she protects what she sees as her children even in a half awake state. She will make a good mother to some pups one day._" Sesshomaru thought.

"SESSHOMARU-SAMA! SESSHOMARU-SAMA!" The shrilly and annoying voice of Jaken filled the air as the screeching toad rushed in. "Sesshomaru-sama, a young neko wench and a small, shadow neko have come to the castle requesting to be shown to your greatness." Jaken informed.

Sesshomaru sighed, "Let them in." He said in his deadpan voice.

Rei had awoken more to the sound of his voice, though Rin still slept, and relaxed her protective stance. She opened her eyes fully to see Sesshomaru in front of her.

"What are you doing in here?" she groggily asked.

The taiyoukai didn't answer her, but left the room and followed Jaken to the doors, opening them. In front of him stood the neko woman and the shadow neko. Rei walked to the door, after making sure that Rin was still asleep, and peeked past Sesshomaru to see the wet neko.

"Rei-sama! What are you doing here!" the neko asked, throwing her arms around Rei and hugging her tightly.

Rei hesitantly hugged the neko back and gently pushed her away. "Um, do I know you?" she asked.

The neko woman bowed, causing the shadow neko, which looked like a darker form of Kirara, to jump into her arms. "My apologies, no, you don't know me, I am just from the Northern Lands. I have come bearing a gift for Sesshomaru-sama."

Sesshomaru took a step back to let the neko woman enter, since she was sort of already in anyways, and led them to his study. As soon as everyone was sitting, the neko explained that she was here to give the little shadow neko to Sesshomaru, a gift from the Lord and Lady of the Northern Lands. After her explanation, the neko stood up and bowed to Sesshomaru and Rei, then left.

"I have no use for this." Sesshomaru said simply.

He stood up and handed Rei the shadow neko and left the room, probably to go about his lordly business. Jaken glared up at Rei, and then followed after his master, screeching all the way down the hall.

"SESSHOMARU-SAMA, WAIT FOR ME!"

Rei looked down at the small neko, seeing that it had fallen asleep in her arms, with a smile, she silently slipped down the hall to her room and laid back down in her futon, placing the neko on her right and Rin on her left, then she fell back into a peaceful sleep.

Rei slightly awoke to the feeling of something poking her hard in the side. Growling, she grabbed hold of the thing with her tail and broke its scrawny neck and threw it into the wall.

CRACK

Jaken's body fell into a small heap on the floor. The loud sound of Jaken hitting the floor awoke Rin and the small neko, who wriggled out of bed to look at the fallen toad.

"She threw him hard." Rin whispered as she poked Jaken's shoulder, getting no response from the toad. "I wish I could throw Jaken as hard as Rei-neechan whenever Jaken is mean to me."

She then took notice of the small neko beside her and held back a squeal of delight. She gently petted it and quietly left the room, trying not to disturb Rei from her rest. The small neko youkai followed after her to make sure she didn't get into any trouble.

About an hour after this sad incident, Sesshomaru stormed down the hall, 'Where is that wench? I sent Jaken after her an hour ago! Kami-sama it's already night!' He snarled mentally. Getting to her room he slid the door open, first looking at the bed where Rei slept.

He stopped mid step as thoughts of snapping at her and shaking her hard awake disappeared from his mind. She looked so peaceful and innocent in her sleep. Stepping quietly towards her futon, he slipped onto the futon, making sure not to disturb the sleeping kitsune youkai. Sliding over to her slightly, his senses picked up she was sleeping deeply. This was not normal of a youkai, who would usually always be alert, but she had sparred with him and was still slightly weak from it, he had seen it when she awoke from her slumber earlier. He looked over at the dead form of Jaken. Quietly but quickly he slipped off the bed and walked towards the deceased lump of toad. He quickly drew his Tenseiga, revived the toad, and, aiming just right, he kicked the retainer out the door, and made his tail close and behind the flying toad. The hallway was wide enough that Jaken would land on the floor and not make a loud slam on the wall. There were a few thumps and then silence, which Sesshomaru took as a good sign, before he looked back at the still sleeping kitsune youkai.

Sliding close to her small body again, Sesshomaru first just took in her scent. Wild roses and fiery cinnamon sugar. Gently pulling her into his chest, Sesshomaru took in the scent of her hair. It smelled just like any other kitsune's hair would. Fresh pine trees and roses, but hers had another smell. It was a sort of sweet smell, but also contained hints of spice.

"_I wonder if she tastes the same as her scent…_" the taiyoukai thought, turning Rei's head to face him.

He stared at her eyelids and ran a finger across her bottom lip, quickly drawing it away as she stirred in her sleep.

The Next Morning

Rei opened her eyes and sat up, yawning slightly. She looked around the room and shrugged.

"I could've sworn someone was in here earlier…" she then sniffed the air, blushing lightly as she smelt Sesshomarus scent all around and on her. "Was it him? Why?"

She stood up and stretched, walking to her closet and put on red hakama pants and a lighter red short sleeved shirt. After dressing, she exited her room and walked to the dining hall. Inside sat Sesshomaru, Rin and Jaken both weren't there. Silently, she sat next to the taiyoukai and kept her eyes averted from him, Sesshomaru doing the same to her. They ate in silence, only speaking when a servant asked if they wanted anything else. Finally, Sesshomaru broke the silence.

"I'm going out today. You will accompany me to watch Rin. I expect you to be ready in ten minutes."

Rei looked over to Sesshomaru for the first time that day. "WHAT! You expect me to just follow your orders, just like that? If you didn't know, I don't need you to tell me what to do, Sesshomaru."

With that said, she stood up and excused herself, walking to the door. Sadly, however, Sesshomaru was there before she could lay a finger on the knob.

"Well, this is familiar." Rei murmured.

Sesshomaru glowered down at her, grabbing her wrist. "You will refer to me as Sesshomaru-sama, wench. And, you will accompany me; I will not ask you again. Now, meet me in the courtyard in ten minutes."

The kitsune angrily yanked her hand back and smirked. "Of course, _Sesshomaru-sama_." Then, she walked past him and to her room.

"That damn…thinking just because he saved me…I'll show him…" she mumbled.

Upon entering her room, she grabbed the katanas the she used to spar with Sesshomaru and sat on her bed. Sighing lightly, she looked up at the roof, her thoughts drifting back to Inuyasha and the others. _"I wonder if they're looking for me…"_ she thought.

Begin Flashbacks

_"What is it, Inuyasha?" Rei asked, crossing her arms. _

_"Why are you really here? And tell the truth, I know that you're lying to all of us!"_

_"W-What!" Rei stammered. "I told you already, I came to fight demons!"_

_"I thought you came out here for a walk? Quit lying, and tell me the truth! That wound didn't come from a demon, most likely from a sword!" Inuyasha snapped, becoming angry._

_Rei started to panic, and blurted out her story._

_"A-Alright! I am Rei, heir to the throne in the Eastern Lands. My parents are the Lord and Lady, since they are coming along in years, I have to become Lady, but in order for that to happen, I have to be married! So, my parents arranged a marriage for me, but I don't even know the guy! I mean, how are we supposed to spend all of our life together, if we don't even know each others names, or anything else? So, I ran away from home to clear my thoughts, only to be gone for longer than I expected and was attacked by my fathers guards, ran away, and ended up somewhere near where you found me..."_

_Inuyasha stared at Rei, surprised. This kitsune had poured her heart out to him, and he didn't know what to do. Rei had now started to cry silently and fell to the ground, her crimson hair covering her face._

_"D-Don't cry, um...it's alright." He said. "Damn, I'm not good at this..." he thought._

_Doing what he felt was perfect at the time; Inuyasha kneeled down to Rei and pushed her hair out of her face. She looked up at him slowly, before he claimed her lips in a passionate, but innocent kiss.

* * *

_

_  
"Wow, snow!" Shippo squeaked._

_Letting go of Rei's hand, he began to roll up a snowball. He looked around until he set his sights on Inuyasha. Aiming carefully, he let the snowball fly, straight into the inu youkais silver locks and ran back to Rei, as if nothing happened._

_WHACK_

_"Ow! What the hell!" Inuyasha yelled._

_He quickly turned around, glaring at everyone, who looked away and tried to keep from bursting out laughing. Adding up everything in his head, Inuyasha turned around and faced Rei and Shippo._

_"...Shippo...you did this!"_

_BAM_

_Inuyasha whacked the little kitsune on the head, making him run to his 'okasan'._

_"WAAAH! Inuyasha hit me!" he whimpered._

_"Its okay, Shippo. Don't cry." Rei cooed, her maternal instincts kicking in. She lightly kissed his forehead and hugged him, smiling. "All better?"_

_Shippo nodded, and jumped on the ground, grabbing Reis hand and sticking his tongue out at Inuyasha.

* * *

__Rei and Shippo sat facing each other with the bowl of water in between them and Karia behind the bowl. Inuyasha and Shizuka were watching in awe from the sidelines._

"_Alright, let's get to it. Please give me your hands."_

_The two kitsunes did so, flinching slightly as quickly cut a small slit in their palms with a claw, blood instantly spilling out._

"_Now place them together, before the blood spills. Now, we wait."_

"_Wait for what?" Rei asked, but quickly realized what she meant._

_A drop of her blood and Shippo's blood, mixed together, fell into the water, making it glow pink. After a few minutes, the glowing subsided, leaving the water blood red._

"_Now, Rei and Shippo, you must each take a sip of the water, and the ceremony will be complete."_

"_Drink that? That's disgusting! No way!" Shippo whined._

"_In order for the ceremony to be complete, we have to do it." Rei stated, picking up the bowl._

_She took a sip of it and sat the bowl back on the ground. Karia then pushed it over to Shippo, who carefully picked it up._

"_Your turn, Shippo."_

_Gulping slightly, Shippo placed the bowl to his lips and took a sip. Karia took it from him when he finished and handed it to Shizuka, who poured it out outside._

"_Now you are my okasan!" Shippo exclaimed._

"_And you are my musuko." Rei said, cradling her son in her arms and kissing him lightly on the forehead.  
_End Flashback

10 minutes came and went as Rei remembered her travels with Inuyasha and the others. "I'll make Sesshomaru wait a little longer." she said, smiling to herself.

2 minutes later, Rei was walking through a forest behind Sesshomaru and beside Ah-Un, who had Rin riding on it. The small child was chatting happily with Rei until Sesshomaru stopped.

"Wait here."

He and Jaken went farther into the trees until they disappeared from sight.

"I wonder where they went…" Rei said, crossing her arms.

"I don't know, but I know they'll be back." Rin replied, sliding off the two-headed dragon. She pet each of their heads in turn and began to pick flowers from the ground.

Rei stared at her and smiled. Then, she looked around. Something wasn't right. The air seemed to pick up above her, and then in a gust of wind, appeared the wind witch, Kagura.

"W-What are you doing here?" Rei asked, stepping between Rin and Kagura.

"Naraku seems to want you for some reason. I was sent here to recapture you."

Rin stood up and ran behind Ah-Un fearfully. Rei glanced back and looked at Ah-Un, flicking her head to the side. The two heads nodded and picked up Rin, running away with her. The kitsune then turned back around and pulled out her katanas and stood at the ready.

"You want me, then come and get me."

Kagura smirked. "Gladly. DANCE OF BLADES!"

About 10 blades of light flew towards Rei fast. She dodged them easily, running up to Kagura and slashing at her, only being able to graze her slightly. The wind witch glared at her and sent another wave of blades at her, only to have them dodged again. But she was anticipating this. As soon as Rei jumped over the blades, Kagura sent another wave at her.

"DANCE OF THE DRAGON!"

* * *

End Chapter 9! I hope you enjoyed it, hopefully this was a good cliffhanger! MUAHAHAHAHA! Anyway, I'll try to update quickly. 


	10. Tiny Hints Of Affection

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, do you think I'd waste my time on making fanfictions! Really, I'd be all rich and stuff!

Thanks for the reviews, guys! I'm so happy that you like my story. Anyway, here's chapter 10, I know it's late, but remember, school, tons of homework, barely any free time. Yeah, it creates a problem. I'll try to update as quickly as I can though. Oh yeah, and see if you notice any changes in my typing, I've decided to make some….Hehehehe….

* * *

"DANCE OF BLADES!" Kagura cackled.

Rei tried to twist out of the way, but it was too late. The attack had struck her. She let out a loud cry of pain and fell to the ground, her body smoking slightly. The wind witch slowly walked over to Rei's body and smirked. "That was easy…"

Stooping down, she reached out to grab the girl by her arm and pull her up, but was sent flying back into the brush by a swift kick delivered to her abdomen. Rei slowly stood up, wiping the blood off her face, and smiled.

"You're going to have to do better than that."

"Damn you, wench. I'll-…" Kagura stopped her threat short, feeling a tug in the back of her mind. It was Naraku.

"Leave her, in her current state, she will kill you. Return to me. I will send out my Saimyosho to keep and eye on her."

Nodding slightly, Kagura drew a feather from her hair and threw it into the air, transforming it into a giant version of itself. "I'll let you live a little longer for now."

Then, she flew off. Unknowing to Rei, three Saimyosho passed Kagura and now hovered over her, watching her every move.

"Damn that Kagura…What does Naraku want with me?" She slumped against a tree, and took in deep breaths, also taking this chance to examine her wounds. Nothing serious. Just a few scratches here and there.

"Rei-neechan? Are you alright? Where did that Kagura woman go?" Rin called, walking up to the kitsune.

"She's gone. Where are Sesshomaru and Jaken?" Rei replied, standing up.

"We're right here," came an annoyingly high-pitched voice. Of course it belonged to Jaken. "It looks like that Kagura woman did a number on you. Of course, only a pitiful excuse for a demon like you would be defeated by her."

Rei glared at the toad, clenching her hands by her sides, she was about to cut of his beaky mouth, but was stopped by Sesshomaru's words.

"Jaken, shut up. Go to the castle with Rin. We will meet you there shortly." the taiyoukai ordered.

Jaken stared up at his master, nodded, and walked away with Rin and Ah-Un, mumbling to himself. "Why is Sesshomaru-sama protecting that wench? I THOUGHT I WAS HIS FAVORITE!"

Once they were out of hearing range, Sesshomaru turned on Rei, causing her to take a step back. He took a step towards her, and Rei took another step back. They continued this until Rei's back hit the base of a tree, leaving her with no where to escape.

"Look, I sorry for not calling you. I thought I could handle Kagura on my o-…" Rei was cut off by the feeling of something running over her cuts and bruises. She looked down and saw Sesshomaru licking the blood off her wounds, almost like a mother kitsune would for her kit. She shuddered slightly and gently pulled away from the taiyoukai's touch. "Please, don't do that. It's…embarrassing…"

Sesshomaru stopped his actions and looked down at Rei. For almost a split second, she could see something different about his eyes. They weren't as cold and unforgiving. He then turned away and began to walk off in the direction of his castle, motioning for Rei to follow. The kitsune silently fell into step behind him, keeping her eyes on the ground. Neither demon spoke, both were pondering about what just occurred.

_Why did he do that? It was like he cared about me…_

_Why? I'm doing things that normally wouldn't have been said or done. Am I really…? No._

"_Stop doubting yourself, Sesshomaru. You know you're starting to fall in love with her. I can tell. I am your conscience after all."_

_You're really starting to get on my nerves, I do not fall in love, love will make you weak and your enemies will use it against you._

"_Sure, you just keep believing that."_

Sesshomaru's mind fight quickly came to an end as he and Rei trudged on silently. They were still quite a ways from the castle, and it would probably take them a few more hours to get there. Suddenly Sesshomaru stopped and Rei stopped a few feet away from him.

"Come here,"

"Wha-…Why?" Rei asked, taking a cautious step forward.

Sesshomaru did not answer; instead he grabbed Rei by the waist and pulled him to her. Rei, surprised by his actions, squeaked loudly and blushed. She was especially surprised when she felt them lift off the ground and begin to fly off towards the castle. Looking down, she saw that she and Sesshomaru were riding on a white, billowy cloud. His tail.

"Sesshomaru…!"

Rei clutched tighter onto Sesshomaru's hakama as he quickly dodged a large tree that lay in front of them and buried her face in his sleeve, and pressed herself against his chest. The taiyoukai looked down at her and smiled inwardly. It amused him that this vixen could be brave enough to face Kagura, but afraid of a little turbulence.

They soon reached the castle and landed, Rei being a little shaken as she finally touched the ground. They quickly entered the castle and went to their respective quarters, both thinking about the previous events once more.

"Why did he do that? I thought he hated me…Well, if he did, he would've kicked me out a long time ago…Maybe I should go and talk to him…Maybe."

Rei stood up from her bed and changed into a pair of light blue hakama pants and a loose top of the same color, then left for Sesshomaru's room, her little shadow neko, Kage, not far behind.

Sesshomaru sat in on of the many chairs in his room, also pondering about recent events.

_What is wrong with me?_ He thought. _This, Rei, she's quite an intriguing woman…_

"_Hehehe, I told you."_

Sesshomaru was about to snap at his conscience before he was interrupted by a soft tap on his door. Frowning slightly, the taiyoukai answered his door and stared down at Rei.

"Um, can I come in?" she asked, running a hand over Kage's head.

Sesshomaru did not answer, but he moved aside for Rei to enter. She did so and sat down in a chair, keeping her eyes on Kage. Sesshomaru sat across from her, watching her movements.

"It's about earlier," Rei began, setting down the neko. "Why did you do that? I didn't need your help; my wounds would've healed fine on their own."

This time, it was Sesshomaru's turn to be surprised. He didn't even know why he acted like that. Sesshomaru remained silent. Rei glanced up at him and saw that he would not answer her and continued on. "Sesshomaru, please, answer me. I thought I understood you, now I'm not sure of that. Answer m-…!"

The vixen was cut off as a certain inu youkai mouth covered her own. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked in Sesshomarus reddened pupils. Rei struggled to push the inu away from her, only to have him grab her wrists and place them behind her back. Sesshomaru removed one hand from her wrists; still keeping them locked together with the other, and gently pulled Rei closer to him. She gasped, causing him to invade her mouth. This made Rei give in, her wrists loosened and she closed her eyes, returning the kiss.

* * *

"NOOOO!" Miroku cried.

"Wha-What is it! Is a demon attacking!" Inuyasha yelled, drawing his Tetsusaiga.

"N-No, I just have a horrible feeling that a very beautiful girl I met has kissed someone other than me!"

WHACK

Inuyasha and Sango both whacked Miroku on the head angrily.

"Stupid monk…waking us up for that…" Inuyasha mumbled.

Inuyasha and the group were still on Rei's trail, having notified her parents, the Lord and Lady also sent out their best warriors to locate their kidnapped daughter.

"We should get moving now! Okasan could be in trouble!" Shippo cried, standing up from Kagome's lap.

"Yeah, let's go." Inuyasha replied, sheathing his sword.

Everyone stood up and got ready to leave, then, were on their way again. They were closing in on Narakus location, and it would probably only take them a few more hours to arrive there. Hopefully the demon didn't have Saimyosho watching their every move.

* * *

Hehehe, how'd you like it? Please send reviews. It warms my heart to have people review. Even if they already have once, it makes me feel special. Please and thank you! I'll try to update again soon. . 


	11. A Look Over With Inutachi

Disclaimer: Don't own Inu-tachi...sniff

Sorry for the wait, anyway, on to chapter 11!

* * *

Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku and Shippo walked through another one of the many forests that they happen to travel in, 

still on the search for Rei.

"Ok, if I was Naraku, where would I be?" Kagome mused.

"Probably behind some barrier somewhere," Inuyasha said, folding his arms in irritation. "Anyway, let's get going, the sooner we find Naraku, the sooner we find Rei."

"Yeah, let's go." added Miroku.

And so, the group continued on their search, not knowing that they were closer to Naraku than they actually thought. Up in the sky sat Kagura on her feather, examining Inu-tachi. "Heh, they're closer than expected, so sad that their search is in vain..." With that said, she flew off to prepare for Inuyasha's arrival. Back on the ground, Inuyasha had finally caught onto Narakus scent.

"He's close...move faster! We're almost there!"

Kagome, Miroku, Sango and Shippo looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Whenever Naraku's near, he's gets all excited." Sango said.

"Yeah, oh well. We'd better follow him." Kagome added.

"You guys are taking too long! C'mon Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled.

Sighing, Kagome walked up to Inuyasha and got on his back while Miroku, Sango and Shippo climbed on Kirara. Then, they were off, after running, or flying in Kiraras case, they finally made it to Narakus Castle.

"So, here it is. He's got another barrier around it, but it's no match for my Tetsusaiga!" Inuyasha boasted, unsheathing his sword.

Placing it in front of him, the Tetsusaiga began to turn red, once it was completely blood red; he smirked and swung the sword at the barrier, causing it to dissipate immediately.

"Alright, let's go."

He ran inside, with Kagome and the others behind him and burst into the courtyard. Stopping in their tracks, they looked around. No sign of Naraku or his incarnations.

"Where is everyone? I would've thought that Naraku would be ready for us...isn't he usually?" Shippo questioned.

"Of course, stupid! He's just waiting for the right moment." Inuyasha snapped, gripping the Tetsusaigas hilt tightly.

Suddenly, everyone became silently as a slight chuckle was heard above them. "Inuyasha, you really are a sight, bickering like that, and with a child!"

"Kagura! Come down here so I can kill you!"

"Ah, tut-tut. I'm not here to fight you. Just to warn you. For you see, your search was in fact, in vain. That girl, Rei, is not here anymore."

Inuyasha lowered his sword slightly. "What? What do you mean 'she's not here'?"

"Yeah, Inuyasha told us that Naraku kidnapped her, what gives?" Kagome asked.

"It seems that while Sesshomaru was rescuing his little ward, he also took Rei. The little girl seemed to like her anyway." Kagura replied, smirking.

"Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha questioned. "What would he want with Rei?"

"Who knows, but I'm glad he took her, she was becoming a nuisance." Kagura said. "Anyway, enough of this idle chit-chat. You'd better get going, that girl's probably waiting for you."

"What? You're not gonna attack us? Won't it bother you that we escaped?" Kagome asked.

"I could care less what you do, plus, Naraku hasn't ordered me to do anything to you." Kagura stated simply, then turned and flew off inside the castle.

"Well...that was weird." Shippo said, hopping onto Kagomes shoulder. "Well, we should listen to Kagura and go find Sesshomaru."

"Yeah, but where could he be? Usually, he's the one that finds us." Sango said.

"Good point, maybe we'll run into him. All I know is that he's likely to be in the Western Lands, that's where our fathers castle is and most likely, he's living there." Inuyasha stated.

Nodding in agreement, Inu-tachi began their journey to the Western Lands. However, deep in Naraku's Castle, Naraku watched them leave through Kanna's mirror.

"So, they're off to see Sesshomaru, maybe we should also pay them a visit. Since they'll both be there, it'll be like killing two birds with one stone."

* * *

Yes, I know this was short, but that's because...well, it is! dodges a chair Ok, ok. Next chapter will be longer. I promise. R&R! 


	12. Tense Moments

Disclaimer: Don't own Inu-tachi, so don't arrest me. Thanks! Hehehe

Onward to Chapter 12!

* * *

Rei snapped up from the recent memory of Sesshomaru's soft lips on hers as she felt a certain young girl tug on her kimono sleeve. "Rei-neechan, play with Rin," the human girl said quietly, looking down to the sitting kitsune. Rei looked up at Rin and nodded, standing up.

"Sure, what should we play?" she asked, holding out her hand. "Oh! Rin wants to play hide-and-go-seek! Rei-neechan can be It."

Rin grabbed Rei's hand and pulled her over to a corner in the room. "Rei-neechan, you can stand here and count to 20 while Rin hides."

Rei smiled and turned around, covering her eyes. "1-2-3-4..." she heard Rin sneak out of the room and walk down the hall, opening and closing random doors. "13-14-15..." Rei listened closely until she couldn't hear Rin's footsteps anymore, even with her demonic hearing. "19-20! Ready or not, here I come." The vixen stepped out of her room and looked around the hall, trying to find any sign of the little girl. She sniffed the air, trying to catch her scent, and quickly walked down the hall.

"Ah, Rei-sama. Do you need something?" one of the many servants questioned as she walked out of a room.

"No, I'm just playing with Rin. Well, I've gotta go." Rei bowed to the servant, who bowed to her in return, and walked down the hall.

Rei continued down the hall, opening random doors and peeking inside. She then came to a particular large door. It was spread far out from all the others, and she had never seen it before. "Whose room is this? I wonder..." She gently slid open the door and poked her head in. She seemed to be in a bedroom. A navy blue bed sat in the middle of the room with many dressers and desks spread out. Rei walked farther inside and looked around, sniffing the air. As soon as a scent caught her nose, she froze. This was Sesshomarus bedroom. She slowly backed out of the room, only to hit something relatively soft. Turning around, she looked up to see Sesshomaru's amber eyes staring down at her.

"What are you doing in my room?" the taiyoukai asked.

Rei opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She bowed slightly, then darted out of the room, the memory of the kiss they shared coming back to her. Sesshomaru watched her leave and silently closed the door to his room, another argument with his conscious rearing up.

"That was close...I can't believe I just froze up..." Rei mumbled to herself. "Whatever, I just need to concentrate on finding Rin, she's probably wondering where I am."

Rei sniffed the air again and caught onto Rin's scent. She followed it into the dining hall and finally into the kitchen. "Hmm, I wonder where Rin is...I can't find her." She smiled and walked over to a sliding door which held all of the cook's utensils and opened it. There sat Rin, smiling brightly.

"Tee hee! Rei-neechan found Rin! Now Rin will find Rei-neech-"

"Rin, it's time for dinner! Hurry up girl!" came Jakens annoying squeal.

"Ok, let's go neechan!" Rin squeaked, pulling Rei with her into the dining hall. They both sat at their respective seats, awaiting Sesshomarus arrival. He soon entered the room, walking over to his seat next to Rei and sat down. The servants then walked out and placed the food in front of everyone, leaving immediately. And so began the quietest dinner that has ever been heard of. There was no sound but the gentle tinkling of chopsticks hitting plates. This lasted for about ten minutes before Rin stood up and excused herself from the table.

"Rin is done, may Rin go, Sesshomaru-sama?" Sesshomaru glanced at his human ward and gave a nod. "Jaken, accompany Rin."

Jaken mumbled something incoherently while walking out the room, Rin happily skipping ahead of him. When they left, the room got even quieter. There was no sound except for the occasional clatter from the kitchen, which soon died as the cooks soon left for bed. Rei fumbled with her chopsticks as she tried to form words, not getting very far before she dropped her chopsticks onto the table. Sesshomaru cast a side glance at her as she flushed a slight red. Sucking in a deep breath, Rei looked at Sesshomaru and gulped. "Um, so Sesshomaru...yes...so w-why did you k-kiss me?" She was even darker as she looked downward at the table. Sesshomaru stayed silent, trying to arrange his thoughts. Finally, he said, "Even I am not aware of why I did what I did. But, that was not a kiss of love. It seemed that my inner youkai had taken over, causing me to do what I did."

Rei turned her gaze back to her plate and nodded.

"..." Sesshomaru stood up and waited for Rei to do so also. "Tomorrow we will be going to the Northern Lands. I must attend, being the Lord of the Western Lands, and you will accompany me as a guest. I expect you to behave."

Rei flushed, standing up and balling her hands into fists. "What do you mean, 'you expect me to behave'?" she angrily exclaimed. Sesshomaru sent a cold glare at her and Rei understood what he meant. "I'll try, but not for you! I don't want to anger the other Lords and Ladies."

Sesshomaru then walked out of the room, with Rei at his side. They were silent until they reached Rei's room, where she bowed and muttered, "Good night," then slid her door shut, listening as Sesshomaru walked to his room.

Sighing heavily, she sat on her bed and touched her lips again. She could still feel Sesshomarus lips on hers. Rei's face reddened softly as she laid down in her futon. She stared at the ceiling, trying to imagine what tomorrow would bring, nobody there would recognize her. At least she hoped no one would. Turning onto her side, Rei slowly felt sleep take over and soon fell asleep.

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Sorry about the wait, I went on vacation to Ocean City! It was fun! Next chapter should be coming soon! 


	13. A Kiss Says A Thousand Words

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha...

Ok, I started this chapter as soon as I posted in Chapter 12, so you guys had better appreciate this. Anyway, there's going to be a bit of fluffy goodness in this chapter, so you have been warned. Enjoy Chapter 13!

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"Rei-sama, it's time for you to wake up..."

Rei waved her hand in the air as if batting away a fly and turned over. "Mmm, not now, I'll get up in a few minutes..."

"B-But, Rei-sama, it's almost time for you to leave with Sesshomaru-sama, you need to get ready!" the inu youkai servant said, resuming the process of waking up Rei.

At these words Rei shot up from her futon and looked over at the servant. "WHAT! Kami-sama, why!" Rei stood up and frantically searched the closet for something to wear. While she did this, the servant explained to her what she would be wearing to the banquet.

"Once you arrive, the servants of the Northern Lands will provide you with the proper dress. You must be very polite, the Lords and Ladies are very sensitive to rudeness. I believe that that's it, please enjoy yourself, Rei-sama." And with that said, the servant bowed and left the room.

Rei, who had been searching for clothes, hadn't listened to the servant and was surprised to see her leave. She finally found a pair of black hakama pants and a red shirt with voluminous sleeves. She dressed quickly and ran all the way out of the castle, coming to a halt in front of Sesshomaru. Rin, Kage and Jaken were there also.

"About time you got here wench..." Jaken mumbled.

Rin ran over to Rei and hugged her, explaining that she was there to see Rei off, then climbed onto Kage with Jaken standing next to the shadow neko. Sesshomaru glanced over at Rei and climbed onto Ah-Un. "Get on," he commanded. Rei quickly got on behind Sesshomaru, lightly wrapping her arms around his waist and sighed. Then, they were off, as they flew away, Rei saw Rin wave goodbye and turn around to enter the castle. As they flew, Rei felt herself being pulled backwards and tightened her grasp on the taiyoukais waist, also pulling her tail around her waist securely. Sesshomaru turned his head slightly to look at Rei and smirked. The ride ended shortly after, however, as they slowly descended onto the ground. In front of them stood a castle larger than Sesshomarus and a bit more elegant. Sesshomaru climbed off of the two-headed dragon, waiting for Rei to do the same. The vixen hopped off also, following Sesshomaru into the castle, only to be confronted by two neko youkai servants. The first one, a female, took Rei by the wrist and dragged her off towards a large door to the right, while the other, a male, led Sesshomaru to a door on the left.

"Alright, Sesshomaru-sama had this kimono picked out for you. He seemed to think that it was suitable," the neko explained, she walked over to a nearby closet and slid the door open, revealing a beautiful kimono. It was crimson with mini black dragons placed in patterns around it, however, much to Rei's distaste, it was a bit revealing. The front of the kimono went down to far, which would probably show off too much of Reis chest and the back went even lower going to just below where her tail would go. There was black lace around the bottom of the kimono and the sleeves also contained hints of lace. The obi around the waist was a dark red which contrasted well with the kimono and there were beautiful dark red, and yet silvery, slippers to go with it. "Sesshomaru-sama said that it would go well with your eyes."

Rei was surprised to hear the servant say that. _"Sesshomaru picked this out for me? It's so beautiful..."_ she thought. As soon as the servant finished her babblings, she slid open the door, revealing two more servants. In a flash, the three servants had cornered Rei and stripped her of her clothing. Blushing furiously, Rei attempted to cover herself, but the servants already started to dress her, forcefully pulling the kimono on her slender frame and making small adjustments in the bosom and other areas. As soon as this was finished, they forced her into a chair and started on her hair. After an hour or so, it ended up in bunches of curls, most of it in a ponytail, then rest of it left hanging to frame the sides of her face. Make-up was added soon after so Rei had red lipstick on, and her face was lightly powdered white, making her have the look of a true Lady.

After admiring their work, the servants left Rei to examine herself, informing her that the banquet would start in an hour. As soon as they left, Rei walked to the mirror and smiled. "Wow, I like this look..." she said to herself. As she looked in the mirror she frowned at the fact that her most of her bosom could be seen at any angle and her back was a problem too. Shrugging lightly, she gently left her room, trying not to mess up anything. She ended up walking back to the front of the castle and walked down the middle hall, after trying a few doors, she finally ended up on one that was not locked. Opening it, she came upon a large garden. Different species of flowers grew everywhere and cherry blossoms bloomed from every tree, the sky was an exceptional blue color, almost too blue, but Rei didn't mind. She entered the silent haven, spotting a fountain and sitting next to it. She gazed around the garden, taking in her surroundings. This place was too good to be true.

Rei had sat there for almost an hour before she realized that she had to go back. Standing up and brushing off whatever could've been on her kimono, Rei reluctantly left the garden and spent the rest of the time she had trying to find the correct room she was supposed to be in. Finally, she came to a room full of youkai, upon entering she was instantly swept away by the Ladies and Lords. She was engaged in swift conversations with random youkai as they grabbed her for questioning and in the end, she bumped into Sesshomaru. He looked down at her and for a brief moment, Rei saw surprise in his eyes. "Oh, Sesshomaru," She looked at him, examining his new kimono. It was just like his other one, but more elegant. It was also a navy blue color with traces of amber to match his eyes. "You look nice."

Sesshomaru did not acknowledge that she had said anything; he had been staring keenly at her the whole time. _"She looks so beautiful..."_ he thought.

"_I wonder why?" _said a recognizable voice in the back of Sesshomarus mind.

"_You again..."_

"_Of course, who'd you expect? But that's besides the point. What I want to know is why you won't divulge the fact that you have feelings for her."_

Sesshomaru smirked inwardly. _"I thought you would know? Aren't you my conscience?"_

"_Well...yes, but there are many things that you hide from me. Like the fact that your mother calls you Sesshy. I found that one a few months ago, by the way. Anyway, I know you are attracted to her, why else did you pick out a kimono for her that was so revealing and you told the servant that it would contrast well with her eyes?"_

Sesshomaru was silent.

"_Ha, got you there, huh? Well, you just think about that. Oh, and stop staring, she's starting to become aware of it."_

Sesshomaru snapped back from his mind clash and saw Rei looking at him inquisitively. "Are you alright?" she inquired. "You were staring at me for a while." Sesshomaru noticed that her cheeks were slightly flushed and decided to ignore it.

"No, come with me, we have to meet the other Lords and Ladies." He walked off into the crowd, stopping occasionally to let Rei catch up, finally stopping in front of a particularly large inu youkai Lord. The Lord looked down, his face beaming as he saw Sesshomaru.

"Ah, Sesshomaru, m'boy! Good to see you! I'm surprised you actually came, thought you were too busy." the taiyoukai said, then he glanced over at Rei and his smile brightened even more. "So is she what you've been up to? You've got yourself a lovely little vixen here! What's your name, little lady?"

"Good to see you also, Juyo, and no she isn't what I've been up to." Sesshomaru replied, leaving the rest to be answered by Rei.

"Um, thank you for you compliment," she answered, bowing courteously. "My name is Rei."

Juyo gently took her petite hand and kissed it, getting sidetracked by staring at Rei's chest. Sesshomaru felt his inner youkai snarl and quickly pulled Rei away from the giant taiyoukai. "I think that you should go, Juyo. I believe your wife is looking for you."

Juyo looked around and indeed saw his wife heading for him. "Damn...here she comes again..." With that said he walked off to meet her, cowering as she yelled at him.

"What was that for? I thought that Juyo was really nice." Rei said, taking a step back from Sesshomaru. The taiyoukai did not reply, however, he sent another icy glare towards Juyo. Sesshomaru then drew Rei closer to him, protectively, and was interrogated by a few additional Lord and Ladies before he finally left with Rei in tow.

He pulled her to the door with the garden in it and entered, sliding it shut behind them. The sky was now dark and covered with tiny stars. Rei gasped and stared at the heavens. "It's so beautiful..." Sesshomaru then gently pulled her over to the fountain and sat on it, motioning for her to join him. Rei tentatively nodded, sitting a little ways away from the youkai Lord. It was still for a moment before Rei turned to Sesshomaru. "Um, Sesshomaru, why did you bring me here?" He did not respond quickly, taking time to clear his mind. "This is the only place where I can think. This room is made by your mind. If you want to see a garden, then you will be in a garden. It is the same for your other desires."

Rei nodded and once again looked up at the stars. "So is this what you desire?" She brushed a curl of her hair out of the way of her eyes, keeping them on the sky.

Sesshomaru glanced over at Rei, admiring the way she looked in the moonlight, the gracefulness of her movements, everything. "This is only half of what I desire," he replied, pulling Rei close. "The rest...is you."

Before Rei could say anything, Sesshomaru had pressed his lips against hers, this time affectionately. Rei stared into his amber eyes surprised, maybe this time; it actually was him kissing her. Sesshomaru pulled Rei closer, leaving his hands on her hips while Rei wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss.

"_See, I told you that you loved her."_ Sesshomaru's conscience teased. Sesshomaru pushed away his scruples, keeping his thoughts focused on the vixen in front of him. She tasted just like he imagined, like fiery cinnamon sugar and wild roses, but she also had a piquant taste that made him want her more. However; he grudgingly broke the kiss and gazed at Rei, and subsequently stood up. She glanced over at him and giggled, pulling out a small handkerchief from her kimono and gently wiping her lipstick off of Sesshomarus lips. His generally icy look, twisted into one of surprise as she did this, not moving just in case she messed up.

"There, um...ok, I think we might have to go back now." Rei said, her face deeply flushed. Sesshomaru nodded and grabbed her hand, leading her towards the door. He slid it open and walked out, taking Rei down the hall. They hadn't gotten far before one of the neko youkai servants confronted them. "Excuse me, Sesshomaru-sama, Rei-sama, but there is no more room for you to have separate rooms, you'll have to share one." At that time, the youkai left.

Sesshomaru and Rei glanced and each other, then walked off for Sesshomarus room. Rei looked around and smiled. It looked just like his other room. "But...there's only one futon..." (Oh, the futon is big enough for 2 people, BTW)

"Yes, this may cause a problem..." Sesshomaru said. Mentally shaking it off, Sesshomaru walked over to the closet and slid the door open, inside were two pairs of pajamas. Both were astonishingly made, with the best silk and everything. He pulled out both and handed Rei the one made for women, who grabbed it and held it up to be examined. It was a thin, silky, black and red kimono, except it was almost see-through. Sesshomaru then took out his and examined it also. His was like any other hakama and shirt; however it was not as thick seeing as it had been made for sleeping.

As the taiyoukai did this, Rei walked over behind a folding screen to undress. The occasional swish of her tail and her clothing came out from behind the curtain, causing Sesshomaru to try his best not to go over. He had already finished changing and was sitting on a tatami mat, waiting for Rei. She eventually popped her head out from behind the screen and shyly walked out; her kimono was a bit too see-through. She hesitantly sat in front of Sesshomaru, keeping her eyes on her hands.

"So, how're we going to do this? I wouldn't feel right if you were in the cold room without a futon, and I'm definitely not going to sleep without one." Rei said.

"I think that it would be reasonable if we slept together, that way we would both keep warm and there would be no tribulations." Sesshomaru replied.

Rei flushed and looked up at him. "Um...if there's no other way..." Sesshomaru nodded and motioned as if saying 'Ladies first'. Rei stood up and slid into the futon, her face reddening even more as she felt Sesshomaru slide in beside her. She turned over to face him, only to see that he was already asleep. "You must've been really tired...Good night, Sesshomaru-sama." With that, Rei also fell into a peaceful sleep.

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Well, I hope you like that chapter, I spent 3 whole days making it! Anyway, I might as well start on the next chapter! R&R! Ja ne!


	14. A Janet Jackson Moment

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha...

Hi guys! You would've been mad at me this week. I was grounded for 2 days, but my mom told me if I finished my summer homework, then I could go on the internet, which means I can update! So here I am!

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Thanks for Reviews From: 

Casandra, Ryusan: It actually is his tail. In the third movie it bleeds and in the manga it even says it's his tail. You can't be a full demon without a tail.

Taiyoukai: Thanks, I'm glad you like it!

Death's Last Breath: Thanks!

icygirl2: Thank you my loyal reader!

Rei slowly opened her eyes and looked at Sesshomaru's closed eyelids. He was still asleep. She could feel his breath warm the side of her face, caressing it gently. She tried to slide out of bed, but felt his strong arms pull her back and his tail wrap more closely around them. Frowning slightly, she pushed at his chest, squeaking as he pulled her even closer so that she couldn't even move and their faces were almost touching.

"Can't I even sleep without you bothering me?"

Rei jumped, glancing up to see Sesshomaru's amber eyes staring down at her. She pouted and gently pushed at his chest. "C'mon, let me go! I want to get dressed. We're leaving today, right?"

Sesshomaru relaxed his grasp around her and watched her sit up. "No. Today we must attend the Games. It should only last until this afternoon, and then we go back to my castle."

Rei sighed, placing her fingers on her temples. "Ok, well, should we get ready then?" She stood up and stretched, her tail wagging slowly. She glanced at the floor and saw some clothes. "I guess this is what we have to wear today."

Sesshomaru had stood up by this time and walked over to Rei, picking up both sets of clothes. He handed Rei her outfit, then took his own. Sesshomaru had another kimono similar to his old one, but this was light blue and amber with hints of red. Rei had another revealing kimono, but instead of the back going low, it was at a reasonable height. There was a small that her tail would go through. However, the front was a different matter. It came down slightly lower than the other, making it seem like she was going to pop out of her kimono. It was also a different color. Instead of being crimson, it was now as blue as the sea with light blue patterns running down the sides.

She reluctantly walked behind the screen and changed, coming out shortly after having some trouble putting it on, pulling her not-so-curly hair into a ponytail. Sesshomaru hid the surprise on his face as he scanned Rei from top to bottom, his gaze momentarily resting on her chest. Regaining his impassive façade, he turned away from her and slid open the door. Rei followed after him, slipping on the light blue slippers that had also been left out for her. The taiyoukai and vixen walked down the hall, following the other Lords and Ladies as the walked down to the courtyard.

"I'm so excited...I wonder what they have planned for us...is my make-up on right..." was the occasional chatter.

They eventually made it to the courtyard and looked at the many rows of seats, deciding on two near the middle. As they sat, a hush had settled over the courtyard as the Lord of the Eastern Lands stood in the middle of the field.

"Welcome, fellow Lords and Ladies and honored guests! Today we shall have the pleasure of witnessing two events! Physical Combat and Archery! Our servants and competitors from all over the lands have come to compete. So, enjoy!" he bowed to the audience and then took his seat in the front next to his wife.

First was the Combat competition. Throughout the whole event, Rei sat on the edge of her seat, much to Sesshomaru's amusement, cheering on her favorite competitors. Occasionally, she would reach over and tug on his kimono and point out the techniques they were using, causing him to smirk ever so slightly. The match ended with a surprising twist. A male neko youkai and a tora youkai were battling. The neko was doing a lot of damage to the tora, but in the end, the tora countered one attack, throwing the neko off, and defeated him. Rei cheered on with the rest of the crowd, settling down as the archery competition began.

Almost as soon as it started, Rei became bored. She glanced over at Sesshomaru, who was staring intently at the archers. She sighed quietly and let her thoughts drift back to the kiss that she shared with Sesshomaru. She was having mixed feelings about him. Part of her wasn't sure about him, the other loved him. She battled internally with her feelings, her love for him winning the fight. Little did she know, Sesshomaru wasn't focused on the archery, he wash having the same thoughts, except his conscience was annoyingly pushing on the side of love.

Soon, Rei started to become bored and fell asleep. After a few minutes, she slowly leaned over, resting her head on Sesshomaru's shoulder. He glanced over at her, quickly averting his eyes as her chest was much, **much** more visible now. Trying to seem unobtrusive, he gently nudged her shoulder, causing her to lean to the other side. He quickly grabbed the sleeve of her kimono, so she wouldn't topple over, and pulled her up, wincing as a loud ripping noise went off throughout the courtyard, trigging all heads to turn towards them.

Rei jerked awake and blinked, wondering why everyone was staring at her. She sat up in her seat, causing the ripped part of her kimono to fall, and her breasts to pop out of it. Then, the world's largest nosebleed erupted from the Lords and Competitors as Rei struggled to cover herself, blushing furiously.

Sesshomaru felt his inner youkai roar once more and gently lifted Rei up, carrying her bridal style out of the courtyard and back to his room. "Are you alright?"

Rei nodded, pulling her kimono closer to her. "Can we go home?" she asked quietly.

Sesshomaru nodded and walked out of his room, Rei following closely behind. Her head was lowered in embarrassment as they left the castle and climbed back onto Ah-Un, who was penned up with other horses and animals. They silently flew off and Rei tightly held on to Sesshomarus waist, burying her face in his kimono. The ride was quicker this time, Sesshomaru had pushed Ah-Un, so that they would leave the Northern Lands as soon as possible. They descended onto the grounds of Sesshomarus castle and entered, walking to their rooms.

Rei let her kimono slide off her body and quickly changed into a black hakama and black shirt. Not wanting to face Sesshomaru, she stayed inside her room, faking sleep whenever someone entered her room. Before long , she eventually fell into a deep slumber, forgetting all about what happened that day.

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Yeah, this was kinda short, but I couldn't think of anything else.I promise that the next chapter will be longer.Are you guys okay with that? Good! -Hands out Sesshomaru plushies to everyone- ENJOY! Wait...I need one...R&R! 


	15. Authors Note

Authors Note/ Announcement!

Yo, what's up guys? Ok, one thing that I wanted to say so you won't think I've abandoned my story. ahem Ok, I'm sorry I haven't updated lately, I've been busy with school and all this other crap since summer ended, which means I might not be able to update often. Anyway, I'm almost done with chapter 15 now, just have patience. If you would like to know how my progress is going, have ideas, or would just like to ask me whatever, you can email me. My email address should be in my profile or something.Ok? Good. Ja ne, eveyone!


	16. Thoughts and Training

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha...BUT I SHALL...ONE DAY!

Anyway, after weeks of much thought, I have finally figured out how this chapter will go! So, enjoy chapter 16.

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It had only been a few days after the fiasco in the Northern Lands and Rei was still locked in her room. No one was allowed in except for the youkai servants who brought her meals, but they were instantly kicked out once they were done. For some reason, Rei's stomach ached and she felt strange whenever other youkai were near. "What's wrong with me?" she asked herself.

Just then, a knock was heard on her door. "Rei-neechan, are you feeling any better?" Rin gently slid open the door, carrying a small tray. On the tray was a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. "Can Rin come in?"

Rei nodded, sitting up. Whenever Rin was near, she felt better. "Ohayo, Rin…" she took the tray and set it beside her, pulling the young ningen girl into her lap.

"Rei-neechan, Rin wants to play." Rei nodded, turning Rin around so she faced her. "Ok, we'll play Jan-Ken-Pon."

Rin smiled brightly, putting out her hand. "Ok, ready?"

"JAN-KEN-PON!" they both yelled in unison.

Rei had scissors and Rin had rock. "Rin wins! Ok, next turn!" Rin cried excitedly.

After an hours worth of games, Rin had won them all except for 2. Both girls were laughing gaily, enjoying their time together. However, it was not to last. Soon Sesshomaru arrived.

"Rin, go play with Jaken." He commanded. Rin happily left the room, waving to Rei as she left. Rei waved back, and then turned her attention to Sesshomaru who had sat on the futon in front of her.

"Sesshomaru…what is it?" she questioned timidly.

"Why have you kept yourself locked in your room?"

Rei stayed silent, not sure of how to answer his question. "I haven't been feeling well. It's nothing…I'll be fine." She felt the annoyingly familiar tug in her chest as Sesshomaru sat in front of her and took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Sesshomaru could sense it also, and already knew what was wrong with her, he just was testing her limits.

"Well, I expect you to leave your room to come train with me later today. Narasu will help you with your illness."

Rei sighed, knowing it wasn't good to argue with the taiyoukai, and didn't feel like arguing either. Instead, she turned away from him, staring at the door.

"Um, Sesshomaru. Did you really mean what you said…at the Northern Lands Castle?" she coyly asked, trying to find the right words.

"…." Staying silent, Sesshomaru stood up and exited the room, returning a second later. "Make sure that you eat. I don't want to fight you when you're even weaker than you were before." With that said, he disappeared once more behind the door, leaving Rei to boil in her rage.

"Weaker than I was before? That pompous, arrogant…Ugh, I'll show him!" she mumbled angrily. Standing up, she slowly got dressed in a kimono similar to Sesshomaru's; however, it was tighter and fit Rei's slender frame perfectly. It was also a dark blue color.

"Rei-sama, are you letting people in?" Narasu asked, slowly stepping in. She flinched slightly, seeing Rei look so angry and sighed. "Has Sesshomaru-sama insulted you again?"

"Yeah, this time about my strength. I'll show him!"

"Well, you should eat your food and then you can go train with Sesshomaru. Afterwards, we can go to the hot springs to chat. How does that sound?"

Rei smiled brightly. "That sounds good! I'll meet you in the hot springs then."

Narasu nodded and bowed, leaving Rei to finish her meal. Rei sighed and sat back on her futon, staring at her food. Her meal was a delicious-smelling bowl of soup consisting of noodles, assorted meats, and vegetables, also known as Suihsi, a kitsune youkai delicacy. She finished it in a matter of minutes and soon it was dark outside.

"Sesshomaru's probably tired of waiting for me…Plus, the sooner I get there, the sooner I can leave."

The vixen left the darkness of her room and walked outside to the outer training arena, where Sesshomaru sat waiting. "I trust that you followed my orders?" he asked, crossing his arms lightly across his chest.

"Yes, I'm feeling better…at least, I was…" she mumbled her last comment so that Sesshomaru had to strain his ears to ear her.

"Then let's begin."

Farther away, just on the outskirts of the Western Lands, Naraku was creeping about with his incarnations, Kagura and Kanna. They were looking in Kanna's mirror, watching as Sesshomaru and Rei sparred, a plan forming in his demented mind.

"Hmm, so Sesshomaru and that kitsune wench are sparring together…I guess we'll just have to make an unannounced visit." He cackled, turning away from Kanna's mirror.

The hanyou and incarnations then walked on from their current position, traveling fast to reach the Western Lands. Speaking of the Western Lands, back at the castle, Rei and Sesshomaru were still sparring. They were almost evenly matched; Sesshomaru was a bit faster and stronger than Rei though.

"So, you've improved…" Sesshomaru said, slashing at Rei with his poison-tipped claws.

"Heh, I've learned from the best!" she replied, dodging his attack and sending a swift kick to his abdomen.

Sesshomaru called onto his demonic speed and dodged her attack, causing Rei to stumble and lose her balance. Sesshomaru took this chance to wrap his tail around her waist and flip her over him and throw her hard to the floor. Rei felt all the wind fly out of her and then felt hands pin her wrists to the floor. She opened her eyes and stared into Sesshomarus amber irises, feeling the all too familiar tug in her chest.

"Please…get off…" she said, not meaning for it to sound like a moan.

Sesshomaru smirked and lowered himself closer to Rei, so that his body was laying on hers. "I don't think so."

"Ah…get off…Sesshomaru…!" Rei felt her voice come out in a moan once more and closed her eyes, feeling the tug become stronger. However, before she could ask Sesshomaru to move one more time, he had pressed his lips against hers.

Rei's eyes shot open wide as the tugging became unbearable. She felt a sudden rush of heat flow through her body and melted into his kiss willingly, going limp under his grasp. Sesshomaru smirked inwardly, and moved his lips down to her neck, gently brushing his fangs across her neck. Rei gasped and felt the tugging worsen, but tried to hold it back. Sesshomaru sensed this and gently kissed her neck, leaving a small blemish, and pulled away.

"We'll end this for today, kitsune," Sesshomaru said, standing up and glancing over at Rei. "Tomorrow we will train again."

Rei sat up and touched her neck slightly, shivering. "H-Hai…" she squeaked, standing up.

She staggered past Sesshomaru, gasping as he grabbed her by the waist and drew her close. He brought his lips down to her ear, causing her to shiver with pleasure as his breath cascaded down her neck.

"Meet me in my study later tonight. I have something I wish to discuss with you." With that said he let her go and left the training grounds, entering his castle.

Rei touched her neck once again and closed her eyes, sighing. "Stupid…arrogant…sexy…wait…no, I did not just say that!" she shook her head and entered the castle, immediately heading for the hot springs. Once she got there, she saw Narasu's clothes in a neat pile on the floor and took off her own also, wrapping the thin towel around her body. She slid open the door and smiled at Narasu as she slowly stepped into the spring.

"So, how was training?" the youkai doctor asked.

Rei felt her face grow hot and was glad that they were in a hot spring. "It was fine. I could actually handle myself against him for a while. Then, he beat me…" She unconsciously touched her neck once again, sighing.

"Hm? What is it?" Narasu smirked and stood up, standing behind Rei and moving her hair out of the way of her neck. She gasped and smiled, shaking her head. "He gave you this?"

"Yeah…" Rei sank down into the water and sighed, blowing up bubbles.

Narasu sat beside the kitsune and shook her head. "He's teasing you. I told you he cares." She leaned backwards in the spring, resting her head on the floor.

Rei stood up and stared at the ceiling. "But why? I haven't done anything. He repeatedly kisses me, but is it just because he knows that it's my weakness. I'm just so confused…How do I feel?" She wrapped her arms around her slender frame and sighed.

Narasu smiled. "Well, that's why you seem to be cautious around Sesshomaru-sama. I had an idea, but wasn't sure. Anyway, don't worry about it. Sesshomaru-sama will explain himself soon; he just has his own way.

"I hope you're right…"

The two finished their baths and exited the springs, saying their goodbyes.

"I'm gonna go on a little walk. Sesshomaru's just going to have to wait." Rei said, putting her kimono back on. "Night, Narasu."

Narasu waved and walked to her own quarters, leaving Rei to walk outside. She went all the way to the back of the castle and walked into in the middle of the flower field, staring up at the clouds. "I wonder though…what he thinks of me?" she murmured to herself.

Not too far away, on one of the high balconies of the castle stood Sesshomaru, watching Rei stand alone. Also, unknown to the two youkai, another presence was present in the area. Naraku and his incarnations stood watching Rei, planning their next move. "Hmm, it seems that she has dropped her guard. This is the perfect chance to retrieve her."

Back in the garden, Rei sighed and wrapped her arms around her body. She then turned around, heading back to the castle, deciding not to let Sesshomaru wait any longer. On the balcony, Sesshomaru turned to return inside, he didn't get very far however, a certain scent stopped him. "Naraku…"

Sesshomaru sniffed the air and turned around, just in time to see a large appendage snatch Rei up by her waist. The kitsune cried out in surprise as she felt herself being pulled backwards, she hit something relatively soft and looked behind her, fear and anger rising in her face as she came face-to-face with Naraku.

"Well, hello there," he whispered, breathing down her neck. "I've missed you."

Rei moved her hands to attack Naraku, only to have them be caught by another appendage and placed behind her back; her legs were also tied with an extra appendage so she wouldn't kick. "Lemme go!" she yelled, struggling. Naraku only chuckled lightly, eyeing Rei hungrily.

"I would think not, besides, your savior has arrived."

As if on queue, Sesshomaru landed in front of Naraku, glancing over at Rei. For a moment, she thought she saw concern flash in his eyes before they regained their aloofness.

"Naraku, so have you decided to use this wench as bait?" he asked, placing a hand on the Tokijin.

"Well, it seems that my plan worked, you're here." Naraku replied, running an extra appendage over Rei's cheek and down her chest, causing her to shudder and shoot an angry glare at Sesshomaru for calling her a wench again.

Sesshomaru felt his inner youkai roar once again as he fully drew his sword, charging at Naraku. The hanyou smirked, instantly using Rei as a shield. Sesshomaru glanced once more at Rei and continued towards Naraku, carefully and quickly maneuvering his way around Rei and cutting the three appendages that held Rei captive. Rei landed on her feet a few inches away from Naraku and jumped backwards, keeping her distance.

"Sesshomaru…" she murmured, taking a step back.

It seemed like Sesshomaru was doing a pretty good job fighting off Naraku, so Rei stood back and watched, unknowing that she was not out of danger yet.

"So, I guess it's my job to get you now."

Rei turned around quickly, only to face Kagura. The wind witch had already drawn her weapon and waved it slowly in the air. Rei lengthened her claws and stood defensively.

"I think not. I'm not going anywhere with you!"

She charged at Kagura, slashing at her abdomen, her claws going deep, however, not deep enough. Kagura jumped backwards, wincing slightly. "You'll pay for that!" she yelled, waving her fan. "DANCE OF BLADES!"

Rei's eyes widened as she turned around, closing them tightly as the attack struck her. She flew backwards and into the closest possible thing: a tree, falling into a crumpled heap on the ground. Kagura smirked and walked over to retrieve Rei, however, this was not to be, Sesshomaru, after dealing a serious blow to Naraku, ran over to Rei and thrust his claw through Kagura, so that you could see it on the other side. Kagura gasped, or at least tried, as she felt his hand plunge through her back and out her stomach. As he pulled his hand out she crumpled to the ground, tasting the mix of blood and bile that rose to her throat and into her mouth. She drew a feather out of her hair and quickly flew off, glaring down at the two youkai.

Once she was out of sight, as was Naraku and Kanna, Sesshomaru kneeled down next to Rei, pulling her into his arms. She sat up slowly, wincing as the pain from Kaguras attack shot through her. She fell back in Sesshomaru's arms, sighing.

"Useless…" she muttered.

Sesshomaru picked her up, bridal style, and carried her back into the castle. Upon enter, he took her to her room and sent Jaken running for Narasu. The youkai doctor entered the room in a matter of minutes, instantly shooing away the taiyoukai and bending over Rei to see the damage.

"Another battle I see…you've really got to learn to take it easy."

Rei sat up, wincing slightly. "You can fix these though, right?"

"Of course, it's a good thing you're a youkai, normally, this would have left you badly injured. Anyway, you're wounds are nothing. However, there's…something else I need to tell you…"

"What is it?" the vixen leaned back on her futon slowly, taking in a deep breath.

"Well, let me try to put this in the best way I can." She paused. "Well, I've figured out why you were having stomach pains and…you're other symptoms…"

"Ok, just tell me."

"You're in heat, Rei-sama."

* * *

WHOOT! I'm finally done! This took forever! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I'm halfway done with chapter 16, it's just being written in one of my notebooks. Oh, and just because I feel like being nice, I'll tell you one thing about the next chapter, there's going to be LEMONY GOODNESS IN IT! Anyway, R&R. Ja ne!


	17. A Kitsune And an Inu

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-tachi and everyone else on the show or in the manga. I do own, however, Rei and all the made-up characters used in the making of this fanfiction. So enjoy!

Yo, what's up guys? Sorry for the long wait. At least the new chapter's here. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

"I'M IN WHAT!"

Rei sat up instantly in the futon, ignoring the severe pain that stabbed at her body.

"You're in heat, Rei-sama. Would you like enlightenment?" Narasu inquired, tenderly pushing Rei back onto the futon.

The infirmary, although being a place of seriousness, seemed to relax the body and mind as soon as you entered. A light, sky blue was the color of the large room, the calming effect almost abrupt as you stepped through the doors. Around the room were undressed futons, each raised slightly off of the ground for the comfort of its patient. There were screen doors that shielded each futon away from the others, giving the patient privacy as well as numerous essential bits and pieces.

Rei nodded, crossing her arms over her chest nonchalantly, minding her wounds and sighed. "My okasan touched on the topic when I was younger, but said me she'd tell me more when I became of age."

Narasu nodded attentively. "That's reasonable. You see, whenever a youkai becomes of age, usually around 17-19, they start to go through heat. How old are you anyway?"

"18…"

"Okay, so this will occur for you every so often, mostly every few weeks or even days. At any rate, how to elucidate…alright, when you are in heat, you are likely to feel an odd sensation around youkai of the opposite sex. This will only last until you mate with another, or else, you will constantly be feeling the way you do. So, do you understand?"

"Yeah," Rei responded, looking down at her arms. "I get it…"

After a few minutes of silence, the door leading into the infirmary slid open, revealing Sesshomaru. "Narasu, leave us." He commanded.

The doctor nodded, bowing to Rei and Sesshomaru and walking out, sliding the door shut. Sesshomaru stepped farther into the room, examining Rei closely. Her head was lowered, and she fidgeted awkwardly. He could sense her heart speed up and smirked.

"I assume you know what's wrong?" he asked, sitting on the side of the bed.

Rei scooted sideways, keeping her eyes on her hands and biting her lip. She said nothing, only nodding vaguely. After a moment, she glanced up at the taiyoukai, sighing faintly. "You knew…didn't you?"

The inu smirked again, which told Rei all she needed to know.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" she bellowed, glaring daggers at Sesshomaru. "You shouldn't keep stuff like this to yourself!"

"I was testing your limits." He replied simply.

((You guys are gonna hate me for this, so a thousand apologies! Don't hurt me!))

"Bastard!" she struck Sesshomaru across the cheek, drawing blood. In her mind she was loudly cursing herself, wishing she hadn't hit his beautiful face and knowing that she hadn't made the right choice, but decided to ignore it. "You arrogant, pretentious, jerk! How dare you! Well, your plan didn't work. NO-ONE-WILL-BREAK-ME. Understand?"

Sesshomaru calmly touched his cheek, turning to Rei. "Are you sure about that?"

He grabbed her outstretched arm and pulled her into his lap so that she was pinned to his chest.

"Are you sure?" he repeated.

Rei gulped and slowly nodded, blushing darkly and staring half-determinedly into Sesshomaru's eyes. "Positive."

Sesshomaru pushed her off his lap and pinned her to the futon, sensing her heart speed up once again.

"Sesshomaru, get off!" Rei stared up at Sesshomaru angrily, trying to push him off of her.

"No, I think I'll stay," he said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "How else am I supposed to break you?"

Rei stopped her struggling, a look of trepidation in her eyes. "You wouldn't dare…"

"Oh, but I would."

The taiyoukai leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss, feeling her heart beat against his chest. Rei closed her eyes, trying to ignore the burning feeling that engulfed her body and dug her fingers into Sesshomaru's kimono. With a little effort and a tiny hint of regret, she wrenched her head away, breathing heavily.

"I-WILL-NOT-BE-BROKEN! Now get off!"

Sesshomaru ignored her, reclaiming her lips and massaging her breasts gently. After earning a gasp from Rei, Sesshomaru brought his hand down to her thigh, ripping through the fabric of her hakama and running a claw down her thigh, leaving a burning trail. Rei flinched, feeling her body respond to his administrations, and a thought soon popped into her head. A horrible thought.

"_Wait…I want him to rape me?"_ she thought. _"No!"_ but her body spoke differently.

Her heart was slamming against her ribcage, her body felt hot, her blood was rushing, and being in heat didn't help either. Her hands soon relaxed their grip on Sesshomaru's kimono and she felt a shudder travel up her spine.

"_Hmm, I didn't think she'd surrender that effortlessly…"_ came Sesshomaru's conscience.

"_You again…" _Sesshomaru thought._ "She hasn't given in yet, there's still a fraction of her trying to find a way out, and we can't have that."_

He slipped his hand from her thigh and behind her and up her obi-jime, making the obi's elongated fabric come free and the short lapels of the kimono more easily pulled apart, but still kept it where she could conceal. The taiyoukai couldn't have that, so he pulled her up and pulled at the obi hard, snatching it from where it would get fixed around Rei and whip her around so that she was facing him and flung it across the room.

Rei gasped in a shock as Sesshomaru tugged the lapels of the kimono apart more, to reveal more of her neck, her shoulder, and more of her torso and cleavage. She hastily wrapped her arms around her bust, making sure she was behind the large sleeves' fabric.

"No no...don't even assume you're going to hide from me." Sesshomaru hissed into her ear, grabbing hold of her wrists in one hand and pulling them above her. Because of the raised state of her arms, the kimono lapels had been pulled apart more, to show a small bar of the middle of her upper body. He captured her lips once more, nipping on her bottom lip and felt her tongue slide over it, gently brushing against his. She pressed back, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him closer. Sesshomaru smirked inwardly, giving her some time, and then pulling back. Rei averted her eyes, blushing darkly, and felt her heart skip a beat when she felt Sesshomaru gently grab her chin and slowly turn her head to look at him.

"So do you still think that I can't break you?"

The vixen shook her head. Sesshomaru's smirk widened. Rei lowered her eyes slightly, trying to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks and felt Sesshomaru draw her closer, pressing his lips against his. She returned it, pulling him down to the futon. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, eager to get a taste, and ripped through the sash wrapped around her waist, causing her hakama to loosen, and slipped it off. He lifted her up slightly and slipped off her kimono and haori, laying her gently back down and taking off his own clothes. He laced his fingers between hers and felt her stiffen as he pushed inside slightly, stopping as he felt resistance.

"_Hmm, so the vixen is a virgin. She will be mine and mine alone…"_

He pulled out, earning a stare from the vixen below him, and positioned himself outside of her, brushing her hair away from her neck and casting her a side glance. She nodded, doing the same with Sesshomaru's locks and pressed her fangs against his neck. The inu placed his fangs on her neck and, after a brief moment, pushed deep into her and bit her neck to mark her as his mate in the process. A muffled cry escaped Rei's mouth as she bit him also. She felt him push in deeper, completely taking her maidenhood and feeling her crimson blood stain her skin and most likely the futon below them. Hot tears poured from her eyes from the severe pain that coursed through her body, tearing her apart. Sesshomaru gently wiped them away, slowly thrusting in and out of her, so as not to hurt her anymore than he already had. She grabbed onto the futon, crying softly, moving one hand to Sesshomaru's back. Her claws dug into his back as he increased the speed of his thrusts, moaning quietly, and she felt the pain dissolve, becoming used to the feeling of him. Sesshomaru paused, flipping Rei over so that she was on her hands and knees and began to thrust faster, causing more tears to fall from the vixens eyes. She rested her head against the futon and gripped the mattress tightly, making small moans and cries. Sesshomaru growled lowly in her ear as he leaned over her, groping her breasts roughly, earning a purr from Rei. She began to push back, thrusting against him with her hips, and they both increased their speeds until a shudder rocked through them both as they entered bliss, Sesshomaru filling Rei with his seed.

They both collapsed onto the futon, breathing heavily, and rolled over to face each other. Sesshomaru ran a hand through Rei's fiery red locks and kissed her gently, feeling her press back. He entered his tongue into her mouth, and they shared this intense kiss for only a minute or so, and then pulled away.

"I love you, Sesshomaru…"

The taiyoukai looked down at his vixen, and smirked. Her stare intensified as she awaited his response and she smiled slightly.

"I love you too," he said, kissing her forehead. "Rei…"

She hugged him tightly, tears springing into her eyes. She had waited for such a long time to hear this from him. She laid her head against his chest, taking in his scent and drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Sesshomaru watched her as she slept, wrapping his tail around them and joining her in slumber.

* * *

W00T! Finished another chapter. Hope you enjoyed this one...it took me forever to write and type. Anyway, R&R!


	18. Do You Mean It?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-tachi and everyone else on the show or in the manga. I do own, however, Rei and all the made-up characters used in the making of this fanfiction. So enjoy!

Alright everyone, it's time for the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks To:

Fanty: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter!

Icygirl2: Inuyasha and the others will turn up soon, and the whole kiss thing was just something that Inuyasha did to be nice. I also used it to confuse my readers. Sorry if I disappointed you!

* * *

The two youkai awoke in each others embrace, blinking slowly at the morning light.

"Ohayo, Rei…"

The vixen looked up at Sesshomaru, smiling softly. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru leaned down and pressed his lips against Rei's gently running a claw over the mating mark on her neck. It had stayed, meaning she was worthy enough to be his mate.

"So…do you mean it?" she asked, pulling away.

A small look of questioning flashed over Sesshomaru's face. Rei blushed slightly, glancing down briefly, fumbling with the sheets of the futon.

"For me to be your mate. Do you mean it?"

Sesshomaru gently touched his neck, feeling the mark on it and nodded. "If I didn't, these marks would not be here."

Rei smiled and snuggled close to her mate, enjoying their scents mingling together. "Wait…together? Does that mean…"

"Yes."

Rei was silent as she glanced down at her stomach. "A baby, huh?"

Sesshomaru pulled Rei close, lifting up her chin. He nuzzled her cheek gently and sighed. Rei nodded, taking this to be a sign of affection and telling her that everyone would be okay.

"Ok…" she sat up, wincing slightly in pain. Bringing the sheet with her to cover her body, she stood up, yawning softly. Behind her, Sesshomaru had sat up and pulled on his hakama and glanced towards Rei. She turned around, feeling his stare and blushed darkly. As she looked at him, her eyes drifted downwards, carefully running down each muscle on his body. She suddenly felt the urge to run a finger down each individual muscle, to feel them against her body once again. Her eyes lowered even farther, finally resting on Sesshomarus hand. In it was the corner of the sheet, which was still wrapped around her. She looked up, catching the sly look in his eyes and shot him a warning glare, however; he ignored it and yanked away the sheet, whipping Rei around in a circle and watching her dizzily fall to the floor. As she was momentarily defenseless, his eyes scanned her nude body, watching her as she quickly covered her bosom with her arms and her "lower area" with her tail.

"Sesshomaru, you hentai!" she squeaked loudly, flushing heavily.

He didn't reply, only letting his eyes roam over the parts of her body he could see, feeling a high arousal for her. Rei scooted back against the wall and stood up; making sure that she was properly covered, and glanced at Sesshomaru. Instantly, they had locked lips again and Sesshomaru had Rei pressed against the wall, slowly moving her hands from her breasts so he could tease them. Rei moaned softly, feeling his lips move down to her neck, placing soft kisses in every spot, and something hard brush against the inside of her thigh.

"Sesshomaru…"

He lifted her up by her hips, while she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Instead of slowly like before, he rammed into her, feeling her legs tighten around his waist and dig her claws into his back. He kept at his pace, holding her up with one arm and balancing against the wall with the other. Her soft cries flew into his ear as she pushed back, wincing as Sesshomaru sped up and intensified his thrusts, so that each would rock through her body. He nipped at her breast, suckling one as the other bounced with his thrusts and heard Rei call his name softly, responding with a gentle kiss. Finally, a shudder rocked through Sesshomaru as he exploded, filling Rei once more.

He tiredly carried her to the futon, resting her on it and laying next to her. All was quiet except for the gentle breathing that came from Rei. After a minute or so, Sesshomaru sat up and got dressed, listening as Rei did the same. He glanced over his shoulder, only managing to see her bare shoulder and the top of her bust before she pulled on the haori and kimono top. She then pulled on her hakama and her obi around her waist, finally slipping on her shoes and stretched.

"Shall we go?" she asked, standing next to her mate. "It's well past noon."

He nodded and slid open the door, letting Rei travel ahead of him. Before she could leave however; she had been pulled back and felt Sesshomaru's lips press down on her neck and his claw run down her spine.

"This will be our little secret," he muttered into her ear. "Until the time is right."

She nodded, shivering with pleasure and pulled away, flushing. In silence, they left the room and traveled through the halls, looking for any sign of Narasu.

"I ache all over…" Rei said suddenly, slowing down. Sesshomaru looked down at her, placing his hands on her waist.

"You're lucky that you are a youkai, with your wounds and the mating, you would probably be near death by now."

Rei blushed at the mention of mating and smiled, loving the feel of his strong hands on her waist. The moment was cut short, however, as Rin and Narasu appeared in the hallway.

"Rei-neechan! You're all better?"

Rin sprinted towards the vixen, crashing into her legs, nearly knocking her over.

"Rin! Hello, and yes, I'm feeling much better."

Narasu walked over, bowing to Sesshomaru, who glanced at her in return.

"Lunch is ready, Sesshomaru-sama, Rei-sama." She announced, motioning for the two youkai to follow her.

They did so, barely listening to Rin as she babbled on and on about the flowers she picked, why the sky was blue, and how she tried to go visit Rei in the infirmary but Narasu wouldn't let her. In a matter of seconds, they had entered the dining hall and sat in their respective seats. The cooks brought out the meals and left as quickly as they came, bowing to everyone.

Jaken entered shortly after they began eating, fuming silently. "Rin!" he screeched, waddling up to the ningen. "I finally found you!"

"You're late Jaken…" Sesshomaru said, casting an icy glare.

The toad slunk back, trembling furiously under his masters' gaze. Rin pushed back her bowl, oblivious to all the anger around her. "Rin is finished Sesshomaru-sama, may Rin go?"

Sesshomaru nodded, glancing at Jaken. "Go with her."

With a small bow, the two left, leaving Narasu, Rei, and Sesshomaru to sit in silence.

"So, how'd it go?" Narasu asked suddenly, arching her brow inquisitively.

"How'd what go?" Rei replied, setting her chopsticks down on the table. She hadn't touched her food, but had been awkwardly staring at it.

"Your mating…"

"NANI! How'd you know?"

Narasu chuckled and tapped her nose gently. "I can smell your baby's scent. Also, it was kinda impossible to not hear all the noise you were making," Rei blushed at this comment. "Why do you think I kept Rin-sama away?"

The two youkai were silent and Narasu smiled. "I need to figure out when your baby is supposed to arrive. This is going to be difficult since you two are different youkai, so the birthing times are going to be mixed together."

Rei nodded, touching her stomach lightly. She smiled to herself and stood up, stretching. "I feel like a bath, anyone care to join me?"

Narasu looked to Sesshomaru, suppressing a grin. "Go ahead, Sesshomaru-sama, I have other things to do anyway."

She stood up and left the room, while Rei grabbed Sesshomaru's arm and pulled him behind her towards the hot springs. Upon entering, she let go and backed away, flushing slightly.

"You may go first." Sesshomaru said, turning around to let her undress.

Biting her lip, she turned around and slipped of her kimono, then her haori. The sound of her clothes sliding off her body and gently hitting the floor made its way through Sesshomaru's ears as he suppressed the urge to turn around. Soon the sound faded and the only thing heard was her soft footsteps and the swish of her tail as she walked into the springs, sliding the door shut behind her. Rei sat on the edge of the floor and slid into the water, sighing as all her aches and pains dissipated, and leaned backwards, closing her eyes gently. As she relaxed, she didn't hear Sesshomaru enter the springs, or when he slid into the water. Slowly, carefully, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, smirking as she thrashed in the water, opposing his grasp.

"Sesshomaru! You scared me!"

He smirked again and pressed his lips against hers, feeling her wrap her arms around his neck and pull him closer. She turned so that she was facing him and let him push his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. After a few minutes, they both came up for air, breathing raggedly.

"Ready for your bath?" Rei asked, getting out of the water and wrapping a towel around her body.

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow as Rei pulled a cloth from the hot water and began to gently rub it along the inus back, momentarily stopping on his broad shoulders, then moving to his chest. She stopped as her hand reached the water, pulling away quickly as a blush rose on her cheeks.

"Get in…"

Rei nodded and slipped into the water, averting her eyes as Sesshomaru got out. She felt his strong hands slide over her back and closed her eyes gently, enjoying the feeling. Her eyes shot open, however; when Sesshomaru slipped his hands to her chest, slowly moving the cloth slide over them. She moaned slightly, blushing darkly and looking into the water. Sesshomaru, shook his head and stood up, walking into the other room. Rei followed behind, slowing down as she got close. For some reason, everything was spinning. She fell to her knees and took in shallow breaths, finally calling out Sesshomaru's name softly and then darkness.

* * *

DUDES, IT'S OVER! Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm sorry if I have offended those with weak constitutions or have a problem with matings. So, please review, it would make me happy if you didn't just read it then leave, please send me a comment! I love to hear what you guys have to say! R&R! 


	19. Missing

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-tachi and everyone else on the show or in the manga. I do own, however, Rei and all the made-up characters used in the making of this fanfiction. So enjoy!

Alright my faithful readers! Time for the next chapter!

Thanks To:

Icygirl2: Hehe, well, I'm glad you understand, cool huh! Hmm, maybe not, but anyway, I'm just crazy!

* * *

"_Huh…where am I? Why's it so dark?"_

_Rei sat up from the ground and rubbed her backside gently as she stood up. She looked around, squinting into the darkness and sighed. She couldn't see a thing._

"_HEY REI!"_

_Rei turned around and smiled as Kagome came into view, but there was something different about her._

"_You're pregnant too?"_

"_Uh-huh!" Kagome said happily. "Me and Inuyasha mated while you were gone!"_

_Sango appeared next to Kagome with the same happy look on her face. "And I did it with Miroku!"_

_Rei smiled brightly, surprised at how stupid this all seemed. "Wow, that's awesome! At least he'll leave me alone now…"_

"_Oh, I did it with Koga too, so don't forget about me!" Shizuka had appeared out of the darkness with a bulging stomach, rubbing it gently. "I've got twins!"_

_Rei sweatdropped and glanced at her own bulging stomach. "This is so weird." She looked back up and jumped in surprise, Kagome, Sango, and Shizuka were no longer there._

"_Guys…? Hello?"_

_She looked around, wondering where her friends had disappeared too, and then gasped as her eyes fell on something else. Glowing red eyes peeked through the shadows as Naraku's body slowly began to appear. Though that was not what held Rei's attention, it was who the man dragged behind him. Sesshomaru. His body was bruised, cut, and bloodied to the point where recognization would be hard. Though Rei could see him clearly. "Sesshomaru..." Rei murmured, tears rising to her eyes and soon spilling over their brim. "Noooo!"_

"NOOO!"

Rei shot up from her bed, breathing heavily. Immediately her eyes darted around the room, taking in the surroundings. She was back in her room and Sesshomaru, sadly, was nowhere to be seen. Slowly a hand rose, resting lightly over her eyes as she tried to erase the dream from her mind. Sliding out of the futon, she staggered to the door and slid it open, blinking hard as the sun hit her eyes.

"Rei-sama? You shouldn't be up!"

Narasu ran over, pulling Rei back into her room and forcing her back into her futon. As soon as Rei was all settled, Narasu sat next to the bed and sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Where's Sesshomaru?"

Narasu glanced over at the kitsune and stayed silent for a moment, trying to find the right words. "He was called away for something important and left two days ago."

"Where are Rin and Jaken?"

"They're with Sesshomaru-sama."

Rei sat up, and shook her head. "So, where'd they go, or can you not tell me?"

Narasu sighed once again, lowering her head. "I cannot."

Rei nodded solemnly, suddenly feeling a strange sensation in her stomach. However; it wasn't the good kind, her stomach lurched and she vomited over the side of her futon, tasting bile in her mouth. Narasu instantly was at her side, laying her back into the futon and calling upon the youkai servants to clean up the mess.

"Narasu…what's wrong with me?"

"It's just side-effects from your pregnancy. This will be happening quite a lot. That's why you fainted two days ago."

Narasu sat back in her chair and stared concernedly at Rei, watching her take in deep, staggering breaths. "Don't worry, soon it'll be all over, and your baby will be here." She grabbed Rei hand, sweaty under her grasp. "Now sleep, Rei-sama. Rest is what you need."

Rei hesitantly obliged, fearful of having her dream again, but fell asleep, letting her worries die with her weariness.

Rei woke up an hour later, unable to rest anymore because of the intense pain in her heart. She was worried about Sesshomaru. How could he be gone for two whole days? She stood up and slowly walked out of her room, ignoring the constant lurch in her stomach, and entered the hot springs, examining the place where she and Sesshomaru were last. She couldn't catch his scent, so she sadly left, hugging herself gently.

"Rei-sama? Is everything alright?" one of the youkai servants had walked up to her as Rei walked through the halls aimlessly.

"Where is Sesshomaru's room?"

"…The eighth door on the right side of the hall…"

Rei turned and walked away without saying anything more and slowly walked down the hall. As soon as she reached the door, she opened it to a crack, letting Sesshomaru's scent flow over her body. Opening it fully, she walked in and sat on his futon, engulfed in his scent and burrowed under his blanket.

"Sesshomaru…where are you?" she murmured. Her thoughts drifted back on her dream and tears rushed into her eyes, quickly spilling down her cheeks and onto Sesshomaru's blanket. "I need you here…"

* * *

"SESSHOMARU-SAMA, PLEASE WAIT!" 

Jaken waddled towards his master and Rin, slowing to a stop once he reached them.

"Sesshomaru-sama, what is it that you are looking for? You seem distracted…" He said the last part inaudibly, not wanting to offend the inu.

Sesshomaru didn't reply, eyeing the sky and occasionally frowning. Something was wrong. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, cracking over the surface in front of the trio, and a demon exited the rubble.

"Ah-Un, take Rin."

The two-headed dragon did as it was commanded; flying off with Rin on it's back. As soon as they were out of sight, Jaken stepped in front of Sesshomaru, brandishing his Staff of Two Heads.

"Sesshomaru-sama, I'll take care of this demon, no need to sully your hands."

Sesshomaru glanced at his ward and took a step back, letting Jaken do his work. Jaken smirked, calling upon the power of his staff and held it steadily in front of him as the head of the old man opened its mouth, shooting out a river of flame. The demon became engulfed by the fire, instantly disintegrating into nothing.

"Heh, well, I guess you've defeated the bait."

Miasma thickened around the two demons and out of the gas appeared Naraku and his incarnates. The three came into clear view once the miasma disappeared and separated so that they surrounded Sesshomaru and Jaken.

"Naraku…so is this your plan? To trap me?"

Naraku chuckled mockingly. "Why isn't that kitsune with you? Trying to protect her?"

"I, Sesshomaru, need to protect nothing…"

"Shall we go look for her Naraku?" Kagura asked, drawing her fan.

"No, she's not here, for now you can take care of Sesshomaru."

* * *

"Sesshomaru…" 

Rei sat up in the futon, immediately detecting Sesshomaru's scent all over the room. She rubbed her eyes gently, standing up and leaving the room, momentarily stopping to take one last breath of the scent.

"I'll return later, Sesshomaru…"

She left the room and walked down the hall and outside. It was pitch black outside; she assumed it was near midnight. Gazing at the sky, she sighed, wrapping her arms around her body loosely. "Where are you? Your outing shouldn't take this long…unless…" The memory of her dream returned, sending shivers up her spine.

Her arms tightened around her body, stiffening as she felt unfamiliar arms wrap around her.

"Looks like you needed a hug…"

She turned around, coming face to face with one of the male servants that mostly tended to Sesshomaru. Blushing darkly, she pulled out of his grasp, smiling softly.

"I'm sorry, I'm fine…"

He nodded, returning the smile. Rei felt her blush darken, the inu youkai was incredibly handsome. The smile only increasing this fact. He bowed to her, flashing his smile again. "I did not mean to scare you. I'm Sai; you must be Rei-sama. Correct?"

Rei nodded, returning the bow. "Thank you though, I feel better…"

Sai was silent for a moment, "You must be tired, it's almost midnight and you need your rest. I'll accompany you to your room."

Rei nodded, unable to deny his request and allowed his to grasp her arm gently and lead her to her room. On the way, little conversation was made; Sai would ask an occasional question about Rei, things she likes and whatnot. Soon, they reached her room, stopping just outside the door.

"Thank you for coming with me, Sai. I really appreciated it…"

Sai bowed, once again smiling. "Think nothing of it. If you would like someone to talk to, I'm always here."

And with that said, he leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek gently, then walked away. Rei's eyes opened wide as he kissed her, gently leaning against the door as he walked down the hall. Her hand rose to her cheek and she looked at the ground, having mixed feelings.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

Alright, this chapter's done, hope you enjoyed it! R&R! 


	20. His Return

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-tachi and everyone else on the show or in the manga. I do own, however, Rei and all the made-up characters used in the making of this fanfiction. So enjoy!

Alright my faithful readers! Time for the next chapter!

* * *

It had been two months since Sesshomaru had left the castle, still with no sign of his return. Even after reassurance from Narasu that Sesshomaru sometimes didn't return to the castle for long amounts of time, she still wasn't sure. Sai helped to keep her mind off of her sadness though, like an older brother. His visits became frequent however, and he was constantly running into Rei, asking her if she was alright. He had also kept on with his kisses to her cheek, which she permitted, but every time he tried to reach her lips, he was knocked down. He still remained unrelenting.

"Hello Rei-sama, I trust you are well?"

It was him yet again…

"Hello, Sai-kun. I'm fine today, thanks for asking."

Sai walked next to Rei and to her dismay, planted a kiss upon her cheek.

"May I join you on your walk?"

"Of course."

The two continued down the hall, talking occasionally and murmuring a hello to the youkai that they happened to pass. It was afternoon when the walk was finished, ending at Rei's room. Sai leaned down, moving his lips to Rei's, frowning slightly as her finger intercepted his lips.

"Sai-kun…you know I'm already…"

She glanced down at her stomach which was already bulging with her baby. Even though it had only been two months, her stomach looked like she had been pregnant for longer; however, since pregnancy is shorter for youkai than humans, they are able to give birth sooner.

"I know, I apologize…"

Rei smiled, noticing how sad he looked. She sighed inaudibly, sucking in her pride; and stood on her toes and placed her lips on his cheek. Blushing, she murmured a goodbye and slipped into her room.

"What have I done…?"

She placed her head in her hands and sucked in a deep breath and felt hot tears drip down her cheeks, holding in the sob that threatened to erupt from her lips. She needed her mate. She needed Sesshomaru; he would help her feel better. But where was he?

Rei collapsed onto her futon, her body racking with sobs. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach, but ignored it, wanting to feel nothing but Sesshomaru's arms around her. She felt her eyes close after she cried her heart out and drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

"SESSHOMARU-SAMA? SESSHOMARU-SAMA!" Jaken called for his master, waddle-running throughout the wreckage. He had lost Sesshomaru after the battle. After Naraku had appeared, Jaken was left to deal with Kagura and Kanna while Sesshomaru dealt with Naraku. As the battle raged on, Jaken and Sesshomaru were separated, drawn apart by the sinister plot hatched by Naraku. Before they could regroup, a gigantic explosion erupted throughout the area, destroying everything surrounding the battle zone with, what seemed to be, no victor. Since then, Jaken had been searching for Sesshomaru murmuring incoherently to himself.

"And to make things worse, I lost Rin! Sesshomaru-sama and the kitsune wench will kill me repeatedly!"

He had hoped to find some trace of his master, but so far, there was nothing, until now. As Jaken stepped over a boulder, he heard an angry growl.

"Jaken...get off."

Jaken jumped up in surprise, quickly moving to the side. Slowly, Sesshomaru emerged from the rubble, brushing the dirt from his kimono.

"Sesshomaru-sama? Are you alright?"

The taiyoukai didn't reply, standing up and examining his surroundings. "Where is Naraku?"

"I don't know my lord, after the battle, he must have escaped."

"What of Rin?"

"Um...well...I haven't found her yet..."

Jaken flinched as Sesshomaru turned to glare at him, finally turning around and walking off. Jaken stared after him, eyeing the ripped kimono as it slightly fell off his body.

"So handsome..." he snapped out of his trance and ran after Sesshomaru. "Please wait, Sesshomaru-sama!"

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when Rei awoke. She sat up yawning, the daily naps were starting to get on her nerves, having a baby was troublesome. Shaking her head at that thought, she stood up and left her room, keeping her eye out for a certain someone.

"I need a walk…it should do me some good."

She slowly walked out onto the grounds and into the woods, feeling better in the fresh air. She ran for a short moment, trying not to disturb the baby and trying to regain some of her demonic speed. It didn't work however, the more she ran, the worse she felt. After being outside for an hour or so, night fell, leaving Rei with the stars as her only light. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she sighed.

"I wonder if Sesshomaru is thinking about me…"

She opened her eyes, surprised to see a small light coming towards her. As the light got closer, she sighed, seeing that it was Sai once again.

"Rei-sama, I thought you were out here. You should really return inside."

"Alright, thanks you for coming to get me Sai-kun."

The inu blushed lightly, taking Rei's arm and leading her back to her room. They reached it in a matter of minutes, stopping in front of the door.

"Rei-sama…"

Rei turned around, a look of questioning on her face. "What is it?"

Sai closed in the remaining space between them, pressing his lips against hers forcefully. Rei's eyes widened in surprise, and then closed tightly as she tried to push him away. She managed to move her lips from his, but he took advantage of it by kissing her neck.

"S-Sai…please…stop…!"

He didn't stop his onslaught on her neck, running his hands through her hair gently. Sliding open the door, he pushed into her room, laying her on the futon.

"Rei-sama…"

He whispered seductively in her ear, gently massaging her breasts. Rei arched her back, moaning softly. "Please! Stop!"

Sai didn't reply, but covered her mouth with his own, pushing his tongue into her mouth roughly. He ran a hand down her stomach, stopping momentarily to rub it gently, seemingly with regret. Rei steadied her breathing, pushing against his chest to get him off, but to no avail. His hand left her stomach and ripped through her kimono, then the fabric of her hakama. Soon, she was completely exposed to his gaze. She blushed darkly, covering her chest with her arms and closing her legs tightly.

"Sai…please, I don't want this…"

"Rei-sama, I promise that it won't hurt, don't worry."

He pulled her closer to him so that her rear was resting on his thighs and forcefully pulled her legs open, staring at all of her beauty. In an instant he had removed his clothes, positioning himself outside of her and holding her arms together with his free hand.

"NOO! Please no! Sai!"

Rei tried to pull her legs closed, but Sai held them firmly around his waist. Her eyes widened in fear, not wanting to be raped, feeling hot tears pour down her cheeks. Sai kissed each tear from her cheek, kissed her lips gently, then prepared to enter her.

"NOO! SESSHOMARU!" she cried, her voice breaking out into sobs.

"Are you ready?" Sai asked, smirking softly.

Rei closed her eyes and sobbed as Sai began to position her, feeling as his shaft nudge at her lightly. A loud sob was torn from her throat as he began to lower into her before feeling his hold slacken on her and his body fall to the side. Her eyes opened, her blurry vision seeing her savior. Sesshomaru.

"Are you alright?"

Sesshomaru pulled the crying Rei into his arms and gently stroked her hair, trying to calm her down.

"Y-Yes…" she sniffed, burying her face in Sesshomarus kimono. "Thank you for coming."

Sesshomaru averted his eyes and wrapped the blanket from the futon around Rei, holding her close. Rei hugged him tightly, more tears running down her face.

"Where did you go? I felt so alone!"

Sesshomaru stared at her lowered head, pausing before he answered. "I had some business with Naraku."

Rei looked up at him, nodding slightly. "Please…don't leave me again. I don't think I can live without you."

Sesshomaru nuzzled her cheek gently, kissing her forehead lightly. "Don't worry."

Rei leaned away from Sesshomaru and gasped as she finally took the time to examine him. "What happened?"

Sesshomaru's kimono was torn to shreds, loosely hanging by the threads that were left. His face looked battered and bruised as did some of his body, and he looked tired.

"Nothing…come, let's go to my room."

He scooped her up into his arms and carried her out of her room, sliding the door shut with his tail. Rei gazed at the furry appendage, slowly reaching and pulling it to her. "So warm…" she sighed, nuzzling into the warmth of the tail. "Wait…where are Rin and Jaken?"

"They are in their rooms; they went to bed after we returned."

"Rin isn't hurt, is she?"

"No, Ah-Un took care of her."

"Alright…"

Silence fell between them as they finally entered Sesshomaru's room. Sesshomaru laid Rei onto the futon and sat next to her, pushing a lock of hair away from his face. Rei scooted closer to him, taking in his scent, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Rei…"

"Please…can we stay like this a little longer? I've missed you so much…"

Sighing lightly, Sesshomaru pulled her down and placed a kiss on her forehead, then pulled the blankets over them and held her. He felt her grip around his waist loosen as she fell asleep, murmuring his name, and closed his eyes also.

"Good night…"

* * *

Awww, so shweet! Dudes! This took me forever, but I'm glad you waited, and since it's Halloween…FREE CANDY FOR EVERYONE! -throws out candy- ENJOY! Ja ne!


	21. I'M SO SORRY!

Disclaimer: sigh If I _owned_ Inuyasha, do you think I'd be sitting here writing a fanfiction? NO! I would be making this into an actual episode...

Anyway, just in case some of you thought I abandoned you all, I have not. I have been grounded for the past5 weeks, still going on today, and I haven't been able to touch me computer. Now, I have snuck onto my parents computer to tell you this cause no one is home at the moment. So, please don't leave my story, an update will come whenever I get off groundation. I love you all, and I hope you love me too, so please stay with me as I continue "A Fortuitous Infatuation" thankies! Ja ne!


	22. YouCame

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-tachi and everyone else on the show or in the manga. I do own, however, Rei and all the made-up characters used in the making of this fanfiction. So enjoy!

Alright my faithful readers! Time for the next chapter!

Sorry for the wait guys. I know you've been waiting for this update for a while and I apologize many times! SORRY!

Rei awoke to a sharp pain in her stomach, immediately sitting up in the futon. She drowsily examined her surroundings, rubbing her eyes gently, and yawned. The memory of Sesshomaru returning and embracing her floated into the eye of her mind, making a smile appear on her face.

"But…" her scruples muttered, nauseatingly shrill. "Where is Sesshomaru?"

Rei leaped out of the futon and shuffled down the hall, stopping in front of her room.

"Maybe…it was just a dream…"

Slowly, she slid open the door, eyeing the room. Taking a step inside, she slid the door shut behind her, lighting a candle in the darkened room in the process. Then, she screamed and fainted.

AFIAFIAFI

"I think we should've cleaned Rei-sama's room earlier."

Rei slowly opened an eye, listening to the voice. It sounded like a female.

"I agree," said another voice, indeed female, but more supercilious than the other. "However, Sesshomaru-sama should've disposed of Sai before he went off to sleep with his concubine."

A sharp stab of anger sliced though Rei, she mentally glowered at the source of the voice, slightly turning over to get a good look at them. As her eyes focused on the two youkai women, she noticed the familiarity of her surroundings. She was in the infirmary and assumed the two youkai were doctors.

"So…you fainted at the sight of Sai's corpse? Pretty girly, if you ask me."

Rei glared at her conscience, scoffing mentally.

"Whatever, you would've too. And no one asked you." Her tone then changed to seriousness as her thoughts drifted back to Sai.

"So, he actually is dead. His body…just laying in my room…"

"Wimp…" her scruples coughed, giggling softly.

"I AM NOT A WIMP!" Rei yelled, incidentally not in her mind.

"Rei-sama? You're awake?"

Rei glanced at the doctors, a surprised look on her face. "Uh…"

The snooty doctor walked over and placed a hand on her forehead. "You feel fine, s-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Rei yanked her head away from her touch, standing up wobbily. The youkai glared at Rei, sighing lightly when the other tapped her shoulder gently.

"Leave her be, Shirai. She'll be fine."

The youkai, Shirai, nodded, and bowed lightly. Rei did not acknowledge it and walked out, quickly going down the hall. She peered into each room, sighing every time she saw it was empty. After an hour of searching, she leaned against a large window that overlooked the garden outside. She had searched the entire castle, which took forever since she was pregnant, and still could not find him.

"Where are you, Sesshomaru?"

"He is away on important business. He'll be back tomorrow morning."

Rei jumped at the sound of the voice, relaxing once she saw that it was Narasu. The youkai smiled gently, glancing down at Rei's bulging belly and put her hand on it. She nodded slowly, murmuring softly, too soft for even Rei to hear.

"Soon, and you're baby is going to be very healthy."

Rei smiled, looking at her stomach lovingly. "Good, and thanks Narasu."

"You are most welcome, Rei-sama, but you should think of choosing a midwife soon…I think Shirai would be the best choice…"

Rei grimaced, shaking her head furiously. "No way! Not her…" her tone softened as she shuffled her feet nervously. "I was hoping that you could be the midwife, Narasu."

"Ah, well, I'm honored to be chosen to be your midwife. But, are you sure you don't want some one else?"

"No," Rei replied, turning to stare out the window. "You're the only one, besides Sesshomaru, that I trust."

AFIAFIAFI

"Y'know, I bet we could've found Rei by now, if _SOMEONE_ could've waited to get more Shikon shards!"

"Dammit, wench! Get off my back!"  
Inuyasha turned his head to glare at Kagome, who returned it with equal ferocity. Behind them, Sango, Shippo, and MIroku shook their heads in disbelief. It hadn't even been 5 minutes, and the two were already at each others necks again.

"She might be dead by now though…" Inuyasha said, lowering his voice. "Sesshomaru doesn't keep people he hates alive for long, and with Rei's attitude…"

"Maybe, but just in case, we should look for her." Shippo added, looking at his hand sadly.

Kagome looked back at the little kitsune, nodding with equal sadness. A while back, everuone was convinced that Rei was dead, so Shippo was readopted by Kagome. Now, Inuyasha had caught onto her scent as they neared the castle, so they were once again on the search.

"Hopefully," Inuyasha thought. "I'm wrong about Sesshomaru and Rei…"

AFIAFIAFI

Rei sat in her room, practicing a trick Narasu taught her. Using her kitsune magic, she would be able to create an illusion, portraying a nonpregnant image. The only way it could be removed is if she was weakened or removed it herself, other than that, she looked and felt like someone who wasn't pregnant.

She smile triumphantly as she successfully made her large stomach disappear, replacing it with a thinner one.

"Narasu! Narasu! Come see!" she yelled.

She felt like a child who had just succeeded in some remedial task for their mother. Soon, Narasu was there, smiling brightly.

"You've mastered it, so…try it out."

Rei nodded and stood up, frowning as her image flickered slightly. She was surprised at the amount of energy it took, but soon got the hang of it.

Narasu smirked, a devious thought coming to mind. "I have an idea…"

"Huh? What idea?"

"We could trick Sesshomaru-sama into thinking that you really weren't pregnant, but…sick, but…knowing him, he'll break into a rage and transform. He's just too serious."

Rei looked at Narasu and smiled.

"No, he's not serious. He's just…very careful with his feelings. It took him forever to finally call me by my name." Rei gazed back out at the garden, sighing lightly. "Narasu, I'm going out to the garden. Want to come?"

Narasu shook her head slowly. "No, I'm afraid not. I have much to do. Seems you have angered Shirai…she'll probably end up killing a patient if she has her way, so I'll watch her."

"Alright."

They both left the room, going their separate ways. Rei stepped out into the gardens, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air. She sighed, sitting down in a patch of flowers and looked at her legs.

"Why does Sesshomaru have to leave all the time…And why can't I go with him?"

She touched her stomach gently, feeling two small kicks, and smiled.

"Soon…I can wait…"

Names began to pop into her head and she decided on two, depending on the gender of the baby, but decided to ask Sesshomaru when he returned. She sat in silence, listening to the wind play with the grass, making the trees dance in the sunlight, finally hugging herself gently.

AFIAFIAFI

"Hey, we made it…"

Inu-tachi had finally arrived at the castle and quickened their steps as they came upon the garden. Upon seeing a shadowy figure, they stopped in their tracks.

"Who…is that?" Kagome asked, peering closely at the figure.

"Wait a minute…" Sango gasped.

"It's…" Miroku and Sangp murmured in unison.

"REI!" Shippo squealed.

The kitsune ran towards her, leaping into her arms and cuddling into her chest.

"Sh- Shippo?"

Rei returned the embrace with equal ferocity, tears flowing down her cheeks. She stood up, wiping her eyes as she saw Inuyasha and the others.

"You…came…"

She ran up to each one, hugging them tightly, getting a grope from Miroku.

"HENTAI!" Sango yelled, whacking the monk on the head.

Rei smiled, hugging Inuyasha last. He hesitantly returned it, blushing darkly. Once that was over with, they sat in the forest, talking about all that had happened.

"We didn't think Sesshomaru would keep you alive for this long." Inuyasha stated.

"Well, I was Rin's caretaker." Rei replied, blushing softly.

It went unnoticed as everyone stood up.

"Well, we should go before Sesshomaru returns. He won't be too happy knowing that we were here anyway."

Rei stayed where she was. "I can't…I have to stay."

"What?" Sango asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"I have to stay…"  
"Why? If we go now, Sesshomaru won't be able to locate us." Kagome added.

"I just…have to."

Inuyasha huffed, grabbing Rei by the waist and throwing her over his shoulder. "Whatever, we're leaving, so you're gonna have to just deal with it."

Rei gasped in surprise, yelling loudly and struggling. "Lemme go, Inuyasha! Put me down!"

Inuyasha ignored her, walking off with the others behind him.

"Sorry Rei…" Kagome said.

"Yeah, but this is for the best." Miroku added.

All the way back to Kaede's village, Rei yelled and struggled, annoying the hell out of Inuyasha. However, as soon as they neared the village, she became silent.

"Finally, she shuts up!" Inuyasha mumbled.

"I think you can put her down now." Kagome said, hoping this would at least make Rei start talking again.

Inuyasha did so, setting Rei down in a standing position, only…she didn't stand. Once her feet touched the ground, she instantly disappeared.

"What the-? Where'd she go? She was just here!"

"Actually, she wasn't here at all. Well, recently anyways." Shippo sighed. He picked up a leaf that lay on the ground and held it up for everyone to see. "She must've used this when she got quiet."

Inuyasha swore loudly, punching a nearby tree in anger.

"We have to find her, she couldn't have gotten far." Miroku sighed.

AFIAFIAFI

Rei stopped in her tracks, listening closely as Inuyasha swore.

"Guess they found out."

She carefully continues walking, stepping through the foliage. Running would be bad for the baby, she couldn't jump through the trees, and she was lost.

"Oh, this is just perfect…now I'm totally lost…"

"Well, maybe you should've stayed with us instead of leaving."

Rei cringed, turning around and putting on a small, pathetic smile.

"Um…hello, Inuyasha."

The hanyou did not seem amused. He walked up to Rei, glaring at her. Rei returned the glare, slightly stiffening as he took a step closer.

"Inuyasha…"

The hanyou picked Rei up and tossed her over his shoulder, walking back to the others. Rei didn't even struggle, she knew she had pissed Inuyasha off.

They arrived at Kaede's hut shortly, entering the house and silently walking up to the others. Inuyasha set Rei down, sitting in front of the door, in case she tried to bolt.

"Well, I see you found her…"

Kaede looked up from what she was doing and smiled. "So, ye all are leaving for the Northern Lands tomorrow. Now ye all need rest."

AFIAFIAFI

Rei sat on the Bone Eaters Well, running her hand in small circles around her stomach. She had taken off her illusion and was staring sadly into the distance. She missed Sesshomaru, Rin, Narasu, and even Jaken! Well, maybe not Jaken. She sighed, placing the illusion back over her body.

"Rei? Are you alright?"

"Yeah…I'm fine. Thanks for asking Miroku."

The monk stood next to her, smiling brightly. "Something tells me that's not true."

Rei sighed, closing her eyes gently.

"I miss the Castle, and everyone in it."

"You mean your castle? Well, we're going back tomorrow."

"No, not my castle." She whispered. "Sesshomaru's…"

Miroku flinched, nodding slowly. Rei hesitated, choosing her words carefully, so as not to reveal anything about her and Sesshomaru.

"Rin, Narasu, Shirai, even Jaken…" she murmured. "They kept me company…"

"Ah, I see. Maybe you'll meet them again. Until then, I'm here for you."

Suddenly, everything became silent and the color drained from Rei's face.

"Miroku, you hentai!" she screamed, slapping the lecherous monk's hand off her rear. Miroku grinned apologetically, rubbing his head.

"I apologize, it's my hand. It has a mind of it's own."

"I doubt it…"

The two became quiet, listening to the gentle whistle of the breeze playing against the grass.

"Well, I guess we should head back now." Rei murmured, breaking the silence.

"I agree, after you."

Rei stood up and walked into the hut, Miroku behind her. She sat next to Inuyasha, pulling Shippo onto her lap and closed her eyes. Miroku did the same.

"Thanks, Miroku…"

The monk nodded. "I'm here to help."

AFIAFIAFI

"So…that means…I'm not your okasan…"

Rei sighed, closing her eyes lightly. Shippo and Kagome had just informed her that he and Kagome had performed the adoption ritual, believing she was dead.

"I'm sorry Rei…" Kagome whispered.

"Don't worry about it." Rei replied, smiling brightly. "Since you've taken care of him all this time, I think that you're the best choice."

Shippo smiled, hugging Rei tightly.

"Alright, enough of this. We've gotta get moving." Inuyasha cut in, standing in front of them.

"Ok, I'll be there in a sec, I need to talk to Kaede before we leave."

The inu nodded, walking off with the others. Kaede entered the hut shortly, surprised to see Rei still inside.

"What is it ye would like, child?"

"Uh…I need to ask a favor, but first I need to show you something."

Rei closed her eyes and the illusion dissipated, revealing her bulging belly.

"Ah, so…who is the father?" Kaede questioned.

Rei hesitated, blushing darkly. "If you promise not to tell Inuyasha or the others…"

Kaede nodded, awaiting an answer.

"Sesshomaru…is the father…"

Kaede's eyes grew wide with shock. "I'm surprised. I did not think that Sesshomaru was capable of doing something like this."

"Well, he's actually very different from that when you get to know him."

"Alright, so what do ye need?"

Rei sighed. "I need something for the pains in my stomach. It's getting unbearable and I don't want Inuyasha and the others to know."

Kaede nodded, moving to her pot and scooping out some of the broth and putting it into a jar, something from Kagomes time obviously.

"Take this whenever you feel weak. It should help."

Rei smiled. "Thank you, Kaede."

* * *

Thanks for reading guys! Sorry it took so long. I've been stressed out lately, what with upcoming finals, I caught some virus, and I went on vacation. So, here it is. R&R!


	23. Lord Asoh

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-tachi and everyone else on the show or in the manga. I do own, however, Rei and all the made-up characters used in the making of this fanfiction. So enjoy!

Sorry for the wait, but here's the next chapter!

* * *

It had been only a day and a half, and Inu-tachi had already reached the Eastern Lands. Now, they were traveling through the relatively snowy plains, the girls chatting softly.

"So, how are you feeling, Rei?" Kagome asked, glancing down at Rei's stomach.

"I'm fine; Kaede's medicine really helps with the pain." Rei replied.

"Good, I don't want you or your baby to be in pain, people might start to suspect something." Sango said, smiling brightly.

Yes, Kagome and Sango knew about the baby. They also knew that Sesshomaru was the father, though it took them a while to get used to that fact.

* * *

"_Rei, are you ok? You've been acting a little distant lately…" Sango asked, touching her friends shoulder gently._

"_Y-Yes, I'm fine…Nothing's wrong."_

_Rei fell to her knees as the pain in her stomach became repetitive. The baby seemed like a little ball of energy and she had missed out on taking her medicine a couple of times, so that didn't help either._

"_REI!" Kagome kneeled down next to her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "Please, tell us what's wrong, we won't tell a soul! We just want to help…"_

_Rei closed her eyes gently as the pain subsided and sighed. She let her head fall to her chest and let the illusion dissipate, revealing her bulging belly._

"_You're…You're…" Kagome and Sango stuttered._

"_Pregnant…I know…"_

"_By whom?" Sango asked her eyes wide in surprise._

_Rei was silent, remembering that Sesshomaru told her that this would be their secret. "Sesshomaru…Sesshomaru is the father…"_

_The two ningens fell to the ground, blinking stupidly. "Sess-SESSHOMARU IS THE FATHER!"_

_Rei nodded, placing the illusion back on herself. _

"_But…he seriously doesn't seem like the type of person that would become committed to someone or even…well, y'know…"_

"_He's not like that!" Rei said angrily, defensively. "Once we got past the part where we detested each other, I became to love him for all of his stubbornness. There's just something about him…it kind of…grows on you."_

_Sango smiled, nodding lightly. "Well, as promised, we won't tell anyone. In fact, we'll help make sure that you and your baby are in perfect health."_

_Kagome nodded, seconding the motion. Rei smiled, hugging her two friends. "Thanks…I don't know what I'd do without you guys…"

* * *

_

"Ok guys…we're here…"

Inuyasha's voice snapped Rei back out of her flashback, forcing her attention on the city that appeared in front of her. Rei smiled, glad to be home, yet deep down, she knew that things were just about to get harder. Soon they approached the castle, earning a stare of surprise and relief from the guards as they welcomed her back into her castle. Almost as soon as she stepped into the castle, she was bombarded by shouts, screams, and hugs from all that occupied the castle.

"REI! MY AIJOU HAS RETURNED!"

Rei was completely bum rushed by her parents. She was completely out of sight as the covered her with hugs and kisses (from her mother). This ended as abruptly as it began with her parents pulling her off the floor and standing her in front of them.

"Rei…we have missed you so..."

"I missed you too. But please…I believe we have something important to do." Rei replied, her voice lowering slightly.

Rei averted her eyes to the floor as her parents eyes lit up in realization. Kurunosuke walked up to his daughter and lifted her chin so that her eyes met his. "You're saying that you're going to finally get on with this wedding?"

Rei nodded, earning a gasp from Inu-tachi, but more surprise from Kagome and Sango.

"I'm glad. Tonight, you will meet your fiancé. I will invite the other lords and ladies and we will have a commemoration banquet. Afterward, two days from now, you will wed." Kurunosuke said, more of a command than a declaration.

Rei nodded, turning to her friends and smiling. "I'll take you guys to your rooms; you can take a break there."

* * *

"Sesshomaru-sama, we have gotten a message from Lord Kurunosuke of the Eastern Lands…" Narasu proclaimed, noiselessly entering Sesshomaru's study.

The inu youkai had been seething all day when he found out that Rei was gone. And to add on to that, Inuyasha's odor was around where he could smell her last. This had pissed him off to a critical degree. Since then, he has kept his rage at bay by staying in his study and away from anywhere that reminded him of his mate.

"What does Kurunosuke desire?" Sesshomaru inquired, turning to Narasu.

"He states that his daughter will be wed two days from now and wishes for you to arrive later tonight to celebrate. He also says that he anticipates all guests to stay for the wedding and he will supply all you will need." She recited, recalling the letter. "So, are you going?"

Sesshomaru stood up, walking past Narasu, ending at the door. "Of course. It would be boorish not to. Watch Rin and Jaken." With that, he walked off to Ah-Un to journey to the Eastern Lands.

* * *

"Rei…how come you decided to go along with the wedding?" Kagome asked, sitting across from her friend.

"Well, I didn't want to disappoint my parents." Rei began, leaning back on her futon. "And…I didn't want them to find out about Sesshomaru and the baby."

"Hmm, well…that makes sense. If you disagreed to this bonding, your parents could suspect something." Sango said, nodding gently.

The three girls currently occupied Rei's room and conversed about current events. It was almost time for the celebration feast so the girls stopped their conversation.

"Ok, when you get to your rooms, there will be servants there to help you change into something suitable for this occasion. Then, you will be escorted to the Grand Hall where you will be seated. Then, you will await the arrival of the other Lords and Ladies. My family will enter last."

With that said, the girls went their separate ways. Rei looked outside her door, unfazed by the youkai servant that looked like she appeared out of nowhere. "Ok, I'm ready…"

The youkai servant bowed and walked inside the room, sliding the door shut after her.

* * *

Sesshomaru arrived at the castle shortly, immediately making his way into said building. He was instantly greeted by a horde of youkai, servants and nobility, and was hurried into the Grand Hall were he sat at a chair across from his least favorite person, Inuyasha.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, BASTARD!" Inuyasha roared, standing up and resting his hand on the Tetsusaiga.

Sesshomaru looked up, glaring at his half-brother. "Merely filling my position as Lord of the Western Lands."

Inuyasha hesitated, sitting back down as Kagome gave him a sharp look. "What? He's probably here to rekidnap Rei…"

Kagome shook her head. "No, if he was, he would have done it already, not stayed to enjoy the ceremony. I think he's really here because he's a Lord and it would be rude not to accept Lord Kurunosuke's invitation."

It took Inuyasha a little while to finally understand, but eventually spent his time glaring at his older sibling. Sango looked over at the hanyou, shaking her head, flinching as her kimono slightly drew to one side. The servants had done an exceptional job with her kimono, but it was slightly annoying to be that overdressed. The tajiya wore a silk kimono of dark pink, yet it wasn't red. It fit every one of her curves perfectly and loosened at her knees. The chest went down so you could see some cleavage, which Miroku happily took notice of, and the sleeves were voluminous around her wrists. The monk wore…well…monk robes, but of a richer kind. They were purple and black, but made of silk. Inuyasha did not bother to change, being very arrogant with the servants. Kagome wore a kimono with shades of green and small dragons etched around the waist. The kimono was made of silk of course, and was loose around her entire frame excluding her midsection. Sesshomaru wore a white kimono with amber dragons circling around the sleeves and faint shades of blue around it. Even little Shippo, who currently occupied Kagome's lap, was dressed in a silk haori and hakama that matched and complimented his eyes. Everyone looked extraordinary. Now, it was time for the Lord and Lady of the Eastern Lands to enter the hall, followed by Rei.

Guards silently entered the Grand Hall and stood at attention on the sides of the door which led to the Hall. The guests became quiet as Shizuka came forward and smiled brightly. "Now entering, Lord Kurunosuke, Lady Minamo, and Lady Rei."

In order, the kitsune youkai entered the Hall. As they passed, the guards and guests bowed, mumbling words of respect. Kurunosuke and Minamo sat at the head of the table, with Rei on the right of Minamo and motioned for everyone to be seated. They did so, looking at the Lord as he stood.

"I welcome you all to my castle for this momentous occasion. My daughter, Rei, will be married two days from now." The Lord began, taking a pause to let this sink in.

Sesshomaru became more attentive now as he heard his mates name become announced. _Rei is the daughter of Kurunosuke? Hmm, how odd is that…WAIT…SHE'S GETTING MARRIED!_

Sesshomaru mentally glared as his conscience once again intruded into his thoughts. He ignored it though, looking over at Rei. She hadn't noticed him and seemed to be more interested in her hands than anything around her.

_I think she's just nervous. Give her some time, and then when this is over, you can confront her. I bet she'll be surprised…_

Sesshomaru mentally smirked at this and listened back in as Kurunosuke began to speak once more.

"Her fiancé has also come to celebrate. Please rise and be noticed Asoh."

A young man around the age of 20 or so stood up next to Rei and smiled, bowing slightly as the other Lords and Ladies complimented him. Asoh sat down, glancing over at Rei, noting the slight blush on her cheeks. He smiled lightly, turning to face Lord Kurunosuke.

"Yes, we are very proud to have the heir to the Northern Lands marry our daughter, forming camaraderie between our two Lands. Now, enough of the formalities please enjoy the feast that has been prepared for this occasion and rest well. Tomorrow, we will have much to do!"

As soon as the last sentence was finished, servants carrying mountains of food walked out and served everyone, as soon as they dispersed conversation began. Inuyasha, Sango, Kagome, Shippo and Miroku conversed, leaving Rei to be silent, which is until her fiancé gently touched her shoulder.

"Your kimono is very beautiful…" he said, trying to start a conversation.

Rei looked up from her hands, blushing lightly as she looked up at Asoh. "T-Thank you…You're handsome yourself…" Her eyes widened as she realized that he hadn't complimented her, but her dress and she had complimented him. "Ah, I mean…"

Asoh chuckled lightly, raising his hand to silence her stammers. "No need, you are very beautiful also, even more beautiful than I could describe."

Rei felt her blush darken and smiled slightly, turning back to her plate and taking a small bite out of her meal. She looked down at her kimono and smiled. She was wearing a black kimono with shades of red around the waist and the sleeves. A long Chinese dragon graced the top hem of her kimono, which fell far enough so that you could see her cleavage and a little bit more. Her shoulders were exposed and the kimono hugged her every curve, only loosening past her hips and ran along the floor. She thought that the kimono was a bit exposing, but since Asoh liked it, maybe she could deal with it.

"Ah, Rei-sama, would you like to hear something?"

Rei looked back up at Asoh, curiously nodding. "Yes, what is it?"

"Well," he lowered his voice lightly. "I seriously didn't want to get married at first. What about you?"

Rei's mood instantly brightened as she heard him confess. "Me too! I didn't want to get married either! I thought it was extremely unfair of our parents to just choose a mate for us without our approval first."

"I know! I mean, it would make sense if we could at least get to know each other. But…now that I've actually met you…I think this wedding couldn't be better."

Rei twitched lightly, unnoticed by Asoh as her father intervened in the conversation. She looked down at her meal and sighed, her thoughts drifting to the one that she wished to marry, Sesshomaru. She wondered how mad he was that she had disappeared, giggling as she thought of his expression.

* * *

Soon, the feast ended and the guests were shown to their rooms. Asoh to Rei to her room, watched by Minamo and Kurunosuke and returned to his own for sleep.

Rei sat on the edge of her futon, a sigh drifting from her lips. "Sesshomaru…I wonder what you're doing right now."

She tiredly yawned, then gasped as she felt an arm snake around her waist and a hand cover her mouth. She screamed into the hand, her mind racing. _Who is this! What the hell is going on!_

"So…this is where you have been. Why didn't you tell me you were the heiress to the Eastern Lands?"

Rei became silent, her attacker gently releasing her mouth, and turned around, her eyes brimming with tears. "Se-Sesshomaru…"

She wrapped her arms around her mates' waist, crying into his haori. The inu youkai allowed this, pushing her away shortly after. "Now, why didn't you tell me?"

Rei smiled, crossing her arms lightly. "You didn't ask."

She looked him up and down, realization hitting her. "So…you're the Lord of the Western Lands…"

Sesshomaru didn't reply, but Rei already knew. She scooted closer to Sesshomaru, putting his hand on her stomach. The inu youkai was stunned for a moment, before realizing what had been done.

"I see Narasu has taught you a few tricks."

"Yes, now…would you like to feel your child?"

She removed the illusion on her stomach, replacing it with her bulging one and smiled. The baby kicked at Sesshomaru's hand, earning a small smirk from the inu lord. He pulled Rei close, catching her lips in a kiss, bringing her down on the futon with him. Rei returned the kiss with equal passion, pulling away as Sesshomaru pulled down her kimono so that he breasts were just barely showing.

"Sesshomaru…" she murmured, sitting up next to him. "We can't…not with the baby. I don't want anything bad to happen…"

_Hmm, she is right, but I bet you wanted to huh? _

Sesshomaru ignored his scruples, walking to Rei's door. "Remember, be silent about this. No one must know until the time is right."

Rei nodded, walking over and kissing his lips lightly. "Good night, Lord Sesshomaru."

"And you, Lady Rei. Enjoy your sleep."

Rei laughed lightly, closing the door behind Sesshomaru as he exited, smiling brightly. _Well, at least my life can't get any worse now!

* * *

_W00T! Sorry for the wait, but chapter….20 something is now up! Hope you enjoyed that. R&R!


	24. Trouble

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-tachi and everyone else on the show or in the manga. I do own, however, Rei and all the made-up characters used in the making of this fanfiction. So enjoy!

Hola, peoples! I just wanted to apologize for my tardiness in updating my new chapters. I've been really busy lately, and now since the year is ending, my load is just getting bigger. I apologize once again for not updating as much as I should and hope you understand. So…enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

"BEGIN!"

The archers drew their bows, immediately letting their arrows fly into the targets, only a few making it close to a bulls-eye. It was early in the afternoon when Lord Kurunosuke decided to start the activities. First was an archery contest. All of the Lords and Ladies enjoyed the competition, cheering and gaily chatting about the wedding and how wonderful the archery contest was. On the bottom of the stadium sat Lord Kurunosuke, Lady Minamo, Rei and Asoh, who were also enjoying the competition…well, except Rei.

_This is boring as hell!_ Boisterous Rei yelled.

Rei nodded, stiffening as she realized that she was talking to herself. _Great…I'm going crazy now…_

_No, you're not crazy_ Sensible Rei said._ We've just never found a reason to talk._

Rei arched an eyebrow, tilting her head curiously. _Huh? So…you guys didn't want to talk to me or something? How rude…_

_That's only part of it. _Boisterous Rei intervened. _You've been "busy" half the time…with **Sesshooumaru**._

_Oh yeah! That was so awesome! I bet you want a piece of him now, huh?_ Horny Rei cut in.

_No! Well…I miss him. We can't spend time together here or else it'll look suspicious… _Rei murmured mentally.

_Uh-huh…_Horny Rei giggled.

_Oh, you might want to go back to reality, your fiancé looks like he wants to talk. I think he's as bored as you._ Sensible Rei said.

Rei snapped back into reality, looking over at Asoh, who was touching her shoulder lightly.

"Yes, Lord Asoh?" she asked, smiling lightly.

Asoh hesitated, a light blush rising to his cheeks as Rei smiled. "I was wondering, do you truly like archery?"

Rei shook her head slowly, hoping not to upset him. "No, not really. I would rather watch sparring."

Asoh beamed, causing Rei to blush darkly. His smile was electrifying. "I see. So, we are the same. I find this to be a bore; would you like to maybe accompany me somewhere else?"

Rei opened her mouth to reply and then turned to her parents, who nodded their approval. "Yes, let's go."

About three rows above, Sesshomaru and Inu-tachi sat, watching all that happened. "Hmm, I guess they're bonding." Inuyasha mumbled.

Sesshomaru growled internally, another battle in his mind ensuing.

_Who the hell does he think he is? Touching my woman! _Horny Sesshomaru growled. _I'll kill him!_

_Calm down. They're probably just going on a walk or something. I'm sure it's nothing bad._ Sensible Sesshomaru said, though he wasn't even positive if he was right of not.

_I'll rip him to shreds, first, watch him die slowly, then, rip him to pieces…_ Youkai Sesshomaru murmured, wringing his mental claws.

Meanwhile, Rei and Asoh had reached a special room in the castle which was roofless. The afternoon sun shown brightly into the room as they entered, a gasp coming from Asoh.

"Wow…This place is so…invigorating." Asoh whispered in awe.

Rei giggled, surprised to see his reaction, she really didn't think it was anything special, except when it was night, that's when it was most beautiful.

"Yeah, this is the Yuuyake room. It is really pretty, even better at night. The stars are just so…amazing."

Asoh looked over at Rei, watching her drift into a daydream. _She really is beautiful…if I only could caress her cheek, to feel her skin…Hmm, maybe this room is actually going to be of some use._

"Lady Rei?"

Rei snapped out of her trance, turning to Asoh. "Hmm?"

"Would you like to come with me tonight, back to this room? I would like to see the stars since you find them so enlivening." He paused, letting her think about it. "I would also like to talk more with you. Since we are to be wed, we should at least get to know each other more."

Rei nodded, her heart tearing slightly on the inside. She wasn't sure about this whole situation; she would need to talk to Sesshomaru about it.

"Alright, then that's that. I will see you when the sun sets then."

In an instant, their lips became pressed together in a light kiss, then as quickly as it came, it ended, and Asoh was gone. Rei stared at his retreating form as he disappeared from sight behind the screen door and slowly plopped onto the wooden floor. She gently touched her lips, replaying the whole moment in her brain, registering that he just kissed her.

"Now what am I going to do…" she murmured, looking at the sky.

* * *

It was sometime late in the afternoon when Rei finally forgot all about what happened in Yuuyake room. She now sat in the study of her castle, silently reading a book about pregnancy. It was good that barely anyone came to the study, so she wouldn't have to hide her book every time someone even got close to her seat. A light sigh left her lips as she read about the kitsune birthing ritual.

_When a kitsune youkai is about to give birth, many precautions must be taken. Since kits must be kept in a secluded space once they are born, or else they will wildly run about the area in search of their mother. This can cause many problems, especially if the mother is not in a birthing room. Also, no males are allowed to be in the birthing room, only the midwives can be in the same room. The birthing of a kit takes a minimum of 3 hours, due to the fact that most times there are more than one. However, this may change if the kitsune onna mates with a youkai of a different species, which is not recommended._

"Rei-sama…"

Rei jumped slightly as she was torn out of her trance, turning to see two familiar faces. One was Sesshomaru, the other was Kage.

"Sesshomaru! Kage!" She hugged the shadow neko, smiling as it licked her cheek lovingly, and turned to her mate.

Sesshomaru smirked, pulling her close and brushing his lips against hers. "I thought you would want to see how he was doing."

Rei smiled, returning the kiss. "Thank you." She set Kage down on the floor, letting him roam around the room before turning back to Sesshomaru, longing in her eyes.

"I need you right now…but…I can't…" she murmured, so that only he could hear.

Sesshomaru stared at her, understanding what she meant. "Then, perhaps just for a little while…"

He pulled her close once more and took her lips in a passionate kiss, immediately sliding his tongue into her mouth; Rei did the same, placing her hands on his chest and grasping his kimono loosely. Sesshomaru moved one hand to her waist, using the other to caress her breast gently, earning a low moan from his mate. They both intensified the kiss and their actions, though not to the point where it could scar anyone who happened to walk in for life. Sesshomaru pulled Rei into a corner of the study, resting her back against the bookshelf and lifting her up so that she could wrap her legs around his waist.

"Sessho…maru, we can't…not here…" Rei mumbled in between kisses, causing Sesshomaru to attack her neck and unbutton her kimono so that he could reach her chest.

"I won't, but since you are my mate, right now…I think I should be able to do as I please, wench."

Rei opened her mouth to snap at him, and then closed it as she realized that she was technically his wench now, at least in inu youkai terms. Sesshomaru smirked, returning his lips to hers and slightly thrusting against her. Rei moaned softly, wanting to feel him again, not with their clothes in the way. After another minute or so, the two youkai stopped their actions, ending with one final kiss and parted ways. As Rei left the study, she saw that it was night, then frowned as she remembered the promise she made to Asoh.

With a small sigh, she walked to the Yuuyake room, surprised to see it empty. "Hmm, maybe he's not here yet…"

"No, I've been here for a few minutes."

Rei felt her heart stop momentarily as she turned around to face Asoh. She smiled lightly, bowing slightly. "Hello, Asoh-sama…"

Asoh did the same, greeting Rei also. He walked up to her, wrapping an arm loosely around her waist and gazed up at the stars. Rei did the same, resisting a flinch as he touched her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Rei asked, hesitantly hugging Asoh.

"Yes, and so are you…"

Rei turned to Asoh, a blush staining her cheeks. "Wha-Um…thank you, Asoh-sama…"

Asoh laughed lightly and pulled Rei close, keeping her at a respectful distance at the same time.

"Rei-sama…"

Rei felt a blush rise to her cheeks once more, making them darker than before as she looked up at Asoh. "Yes, Asoh-sama?"

"Can I…well…um…" Asoh shuffled his feet slowly, becoming flustered.

Rei smiled, giggling slightly and brushed her hand against his cheek. "Go on…"

Asoh's tail wagged slowly as her hand touched his face, and turned to face her. He opened his mother to say something, then closed it, second guessing himself. He pulled Rei close, and passionately kissed her. Rei's eyes widened in surprise as he kissed her, unable to break away.

"What the hell! OH MY…"

* * *

Alright guys, sorry for the wait, but here's the new chapter! Anyway, R&R!


	25. Forgive Me

Yo, what's up guys? Anyway, here's another update from yours truly! Oh, and thanks to AijinDaiku for the review! I'm glad you love my story so much! Anyway guys, enough of the formalities, enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

Rei closed her eyes tightly, pressing against Asoh's chest. She couldn't believe what was happening! First, she and Asoh were talking, and then out of nowhere, he was kissing her! WHAT THE HELL WAS HAPPENING?

_Ok…well, this is awkward. Don't panic, maybe he'll stop soon…_Sensible Rei murmured.

_THE HELL HE WILL! _Boisterous Rei yelled, pushing away Sensible Rei. _Save yourself! Run while you still can!_

_Yes, you must escape. Kissing always leads to other things._ Overprotective Rei added.

Rei mentally frowned, silencing her scruples. _You guys aren't helping!_

_Sorry…_

Rei snapped out of her mind, focusing on Asoh, her eyes widened as she saw that they had somehow arrived on the ground, with Asoh on top of her. He had left her lips and now was attacking her neck and her cleavage. She opened her mouth, no sound coming out, except for a small squeak. Asoh glanced up at her, smiling softly.

"Asoh…" Rei murmured, finally able to speak. "Please…"

"I know, I'll be gentle." Asoh replied, untying the obi wrapped around Rei's waist. "Don't worry."

Rei's eyes widened once again. He was going to mate with her! _Kami-sama, why me!_ Asoh kissed her once again, causing her limbs to go weak, and removed her obi, opening her kimono slightly. His hands brushed against her bare flesh, feeling warm against her cold skin. Asoh pushed away the folds of the kimono from Rei's lower half, exposing her slightly.

"Asoh-sama!"

Asoh looked up at Rei startled. He saw tears in her eyes and immediately had her in his arms, brushing them away.

"What is it, Rei-sama?"

"Please…not now…" Rei said, trying to come up with a reason to not mate with him. "Can we wait until after the wedding? I want to save myself for then…"

Asoh was silent, obviously contemplating, then nodded, releasing Rei from his grasp. "I respect your wishes…we shall wait."

Rei stood up, closing her kimono and walking away, turning around to look at Asoh. He was standing, smiling softly at her.

"Until marriage, Rei-sama."

With that said, he left the room. Rei left through another door, running to her room. It was pitch black in the halls, Rei figured the guards believed everyone was asleep and extinguished the lights. She was almost to her room when she ran into something hard, falling backwards. Instead of landing on the tatami mat, she landed on something furry.

"What's your hurry?"

Rei's ears perked up, fear grasping her heart. The soft object pulled her up, bringing her face to face with Sesshomaru. She looked down, feeling him put her down and stare at her.

"What happened?"

Rei stayed silent, biting her lip as Sesshomaru grabbed her chin and made her look him in the eye.

"I will not ask again."

She averted her eyes, feeling tears spill over their brim. She knew Sesshomaru would be furious at her, but she didn't want to tell him about what happened.

"…" Rei opened her mouth, trying to think of the words that needed to be said. "Asoh caught me off guard…I'm sorry…"

Sesshomaru stared at her, looking at her disheveled hair and kimono, and caught the scent of Asoh all over her.

_That…bastard! I'll kill him for touching my wench! _Youkai Sesshomaru fumed.

Sesshomaru let go of Rei, walking past her and to his room. Rei stared in front of her, tears spilling down her face. She knew she had angered Sesshomaru, but she was unsure of the consequences Asoh would face. Making up her mind, she walked to her room, sliding the door shut behind her.

She fell onto her futon, sobbing silently. After crying herself out of tears, she sat up, rubbing her eyes gently. She knew she had to explain the whole situation to Sesshomaru, but was unsure of how he would react.

"Whatever I say…I'm sure he'll be angry."

(W00T! Page 3, bizotches!) She stood up and walked over to her mirror, taking off her kimono in the process. She gazed at herself, blushing as she saw the small marks Asoh left on her. Sesshomaru would not be pleased. Rei put on a sleeping kimono, and then walked to her door, slipping on a pair of white silk slippers and exiting her room.

She silently slipped down the hall, walking to Sesshomaru's room. She knocked on his door softly, whispering his name through the screen.

"May I come in? I need to talk to you."

There was a moment of silence, then: "Enter." from Sesshomaru.

Rei entered the room, instantly seeing Sesshomaru standing somewhat in front of her.

"Why are you here?"

The statement sounded like more of a command, so Rei gathered her courage and closed her eyes.

"I want to explain what happened earlier. I didn't tell you everything..."

Sesshomaru glared at her, then walked away and sat on his futon, motioning for her to come sit next to him. Rei did so, wrapping her arms around her body lightly. Sesshomaru noticed this, and wrapped his tail around her, unintentionally pulling her closer. Rei blushed, taking in a deep breath and beginning her story.

* * *

"...and so know you know...I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

Sesshomaru and Rei were sitting with their backs against the headboard of the futon, Rei wrapped in Sesshomaru's arms and sitting on his lap. Sesshomaru closed his eyes lightly, taking in everything Rei had said, realizing that it was not her fault, but this...Asoh.

"So...he did not take you as his own."

Rei shook her head, pressing her lips against Sesshomaru's. "No...because I am yours, always..."

Sesshomaru returned the kiss, but taking it deeper than they had ever kissed. This one was of pure love, something the inu lord did not show on a regular basis. He pulled the blanket over them, falling to the futon.

"Then I will have you now." He said, pushing his lips back onto hers.

The blanket fell on both of them, hiding their actions from the rest of the world.

* * *

Whoo! Another chapter done! This one is pretty short though...Yeah, I know...But anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed that! I think there'll only be two or three more chapters before this story is done! But don't worry, I will be making another story soon! I haven't figured it out yet, but it might be of a different anime! Anyway, R&R, and ja ne!


	26. Authors Note 2

'Ello my faithful readers! I'm sorry for the long wait, but you're going to have to wait a little longer for my next updates. I know that it's summer vacation, and I should have a lot more time on my hands, but that is not the case. I've been stuck with babysitting, and four summer assignments from my Pre-Calculus class, AP European History class, Honors English 10 class, and Spanish 3 class. So, I'm pretty much under a pile of s right now. I'll try to find some time in between all of this to update the fanfic, hmm, no, I PROMISE I'LL MAKE SOME TIME TO UPDATE! Anyway, I hope you guys understand. Oh, and, I also will update my main page, with information about me and stuff. I've finally thought of some stuff to actually put there. So, I'm sorry, but I must go on a temporary hiatus. I'll be back soon! R&R, love you all!


	27. Birth

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-chan and the rest of the peeps. But I do own Rei!

WOOT! Yesh everyone, I have returned! I didn't realize how long I've been gone…Wow…it's been a while! Ok, well, I'm sure there are about 2 or 3 more chapters left. Then, after that, I'm making a Harry Potter fanfic. I'm not sure if it'll be on here or another site. If they accept HP, then it'll be here! Love ya all!

* * *

Sesshomaru was the first to awaken, hearing voices outside of his door. They seemed to be panicked. Using his youkai hearing, he listened closely to what they were saying. 

"Rei-sama is missing!" one voice murmured.

"We must find her! She'll be late for her fathers Yomeiri wishes!" another said, more panicked than the other.

Sesshomaru felt something move next to him, pulling back the blanket to find his mate, Rei. Memories from the previous day came back to him, along with the near rape of his mate by Asoh. He growled softly, awakening Rei in the process.

"What is it?" she asked groggily, looking disheveled.

Sesshomaru silenced her with a look, listening as the voices came closer to his room.

"Sesshomaru-sama, may we speak with you?" the panicked voice questioned.

Sesshomaru was silent for a moment as he pushed Rei beneath the blanket and on top of him. It now looked as if only one person inhabited the futon.

"Enter."

The two servants entered Sesshomaru's room, surprised to see him still in bed. They bowed and stood in silence, awaiting the order to speak. Meanwhile, under the blanket, Rei had her face firmly planted at Sesshomaru's waist, a dark blush on her face. Any lower and she would have been…well…you know. She made a mental note in her head to get back at Sesshomaru for this.

"Speak." Sesshomaru said.

The servants bowed once again, beginning their story. "Sesshomaru-sama, we apologize for disturbing you, but have you by any chance seen Rei-sama? She isn't in her room and it is our duty to prepare her for her wedding today."

"No, I have not seen her."

"Ah, well, if you do. Please tell any servant."

They bowed once again and silently walked out of the room, their footsteps disappearing as the walked down the hall. Sesshomaru sat still for a moment, and then pulled Rei up from under the blanket, surprised to see her face crimson.

"I'll get you back for that…" Rei murmured, glancing over at her mate.

Sesshomaru smirked, pulling Rei to him and kissing her lips gently. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

Rei smiled and pressed her lips against Sesshomaru's, gently rocking back and forth on his hips. Sesshomaru felt a high arousal for his mate, wanting to take her then and there. Rei smirked, kissing him firmly, sensing his arousal. Then, without a words warning, she pulled away and stood up, leaving Sesshomaru in his current state.

"That's how."

She smiled at his stupefied face, knowing that she would only get to see that once, and left his room, silently walking back to her own.

"He's going to kill me later. But at least I feel better…I'm still hurting from last night…"

She stretched and yawned, jumping in fright as she heard the door slide open.

"REI-SAMA!"

She turned around and was instantly covered in fabric and clothing that her servants had piled onto her.

"We finally found you! Now, you must get ready, you're going to be late for the Yomeiri."

Rei groaned mentally, submitting herself to the servants who quickly and roughly jerked and passed her around, eventually sitting her in front of her mirror.

She wore a kimono similar to the one she wore at the Northern Lands castle. However, this kimono seemed to expose everything. Her chest was almost visible, her back was completely uncovered, and the kimono only reached down to her thighs, and to make matters worse, it was formfitting. She grimaced, immediately switching her frown into a smile as the servants began to work on her hair, transforming it from a disheveled ponytail. Her hair was left down, with a small braid coming from the left side of her head and sitting on her shoulder.

"Thank you." She murmured, standing up and slipping on a pair of black slippers that had been left out for her.

She left her room, guided by 3 youkai guards and walked down the hall and to the main hall. Immediately she was accosted by guests as she walked down the cleared carpet that led to her parents and…Asoh. Rei took in a deep breath and stepped up to her parents, kissing each on their cheek and sat in a chair by Asoh.

Immediately, all became silent as Kurunosuke stood up to address the room.

"Welcome guests from across the Lands. Today is a wonderful day. Today…my daughter is wed to Asoh, heir to the Northern Lands." Kurunosuke smiled brightly, looking from his daughter to his future son. "So, please, everyone come to the gardens at noon to celebrate this wedding."

There was a long episode of clapping, cheering and congratulations from each guest, and then they slowly disappeared from the main hall, leaving to prepare for the wedding.

Rei stayed in her seat, head bowed. She knew that she would have to tell her parents about Sesshomaru, and their baby. But how? She stood up; head still lost in thought and walked into her room, once again being pummeled by servants in order to prepare her for her wedding.

* * *

Surprisingly, the preparations took all morning, finally finishing somewhat near noon. She wore a black formal chirimen silk crepe kimono with five crests. Also, it had Yuzen dyeing, with couched silver threads and small touches of silk embroidery and a phoenix motif. On her feet were black silk slippers with the same designs as her kimono. Her hair was put up in a bun with decorative chopsticks sticking out of it. She was left with a small bang on her forehead that was curled to the side and miniature fans on both sides of her head to hold back stray strands of hair. She looked beautiful, however, Rei was saddened. Today she would have to hurt 3 people. Her parents and Asoh. 

"Rei-sama?" a servant began, touching her shoulder gently. "It's time…"

Rei sighed softly, standing up, pulling out her fan and raising it in front of her face. She decided that she would tell her parents before the wedding. With her head held up high, she walked out of her room gracefully. She eventually arrived at the gardens, and stood behind the screen door. She heard the gardens become silent and took in a deep breath, closing her eyes lightly.

"Now entering, heir to the Eastern Lands, Rei-sama."

Rei opened her eyes and gracefully walked into the gardens as the door opened, peering at every face as she passed. She saw Inuyasha, Kagome and the rest of the group and smiled softly as them, seeing the worried faces of Sango and Kagome. She lifted up her fan and mouthed: Don't worry. As she continued on her way, she saw Sesshomaru and felt longing in her heart. As soon as she tore her eyes away from him, she stood in front of her parents, bowing slightly.

"Okasan…Otousan…" she murmured, trying to get her parents attention, however, they were busy speaking to their guests.

"And now is the time where my daughter and Asoh are wed, bringing together two Lands in peace and prosperity." He pulled Rei and Asoh together, and put their hands together.

"I'm happy that this day has finally come."

Rei felt a kick in her stomach, and then a slight pain but ignored it, more focused on trying to talk to her parents.

"Asoh…Rei. Are you ready?" Kurunosuke asked, looking at them.

Asoh nodded, Rei however was silent. Kurunosuke took it as nervousness. She suddenly lurched over, holding her stomach in pain, a cry leaving her lips. Everyone stood up and murmured loudly, all wanting to know what was wrong. Asoh, Kurunosuke, and Minamo instantly were at Rei's side, worried about her health. Rei wheezed and began to take in quick breaths, tears rolling out of her eyes. She was having contractions, and these were worse than any she had before. The baby was close.

Sesshomaru immediately stood up, sensing what was happening and quickly strode over to Rei, carrying her bridal style.

"S-Sesshomaru…it's time…" Rei said, a small cry leaving her lips.

The taiyoukai nodded and carried Rei off to the infirmary, ignoring the complaints and stares from the guests, Asoh, and Rei's parents.

* * *

"Rei…" Sesshomaru began, hearing small whimpers from his mate as her contractions became worse. 

He began to jump up the building, balcony to balcony, heading to the top floor where the infirmary was. As soon as he reached the third floor, he began to feel a strange wetness of water of Rei's kimono.

"What the hell!" Sesshomaru snarled as he felt the water.

"My…water just broke…" Rei explained between winces due to her contractions. "Hurry and get me to the infirmary!"

Sesshomaru glared at her for commanding him, but decided to let it pass due to the dire situation. He knew the baby was about to come and didn't want to be a midwife. Gathering up his strength, he jumped up three more balconies, finally landing on the infirmary balcony. He pushed open the window, peering around the room to see if anyone currently inhabited it.

They were in a cream colored room. Sesshomaru was sniffing the air to make sure no one was occupying the room when Rei let out a pain-ridden cry. Sesshomaru decided if this room was being occupied by someone, they would have to wait. He set Rei down on the bed, as he heard three pairs of footsteps running towards the room.

Kurunosuke landed in the balcony and the door busted open, revealing a worried Sango and Kagome and a frantic Minamo. Sesshomaru stepped aside for the three women to come to his secret mate's side. It seemed that today, everyone would know their secret.

Kurunosuke came to Sesshomaru's side, giving him a questioning look. Sesshomaru knew it was going to be fun trying to explain to Kurunosuke. Two other female rabbit youkai nurses hurried inside, and shooed the two males out.

* * *

After a lengthy scream of pain from inside the room, Kurunosuke looked at Sesshomaru, "Why did you bring her here Sesshomaru? It's very rare for you to help someone." Kurunosuke asked. 

Sesshomaru still looked ahead and sighed, might as well fess up now, "Because I couldn't let my mate give birth to my child in a garden."

Kurunosuke's mouth dropped open, "Y-You? You mated with my daughter!"

Sesshomaru gave him a sideways glance, and nodded.

Kurunosuke growled, his eyes flashing red, "Why didn't you tell anyone or let Rei tell anyone!"

"Because I told her to wait until the time is right." Sesshomaru said simply.

Kurunosuke snarled, "How could you leave her alone and not take responsibility for what you've done by telling someone! You damn idiot!"

Sesshomaru still looked ahead, "Because her trust in me is a necessity, I had to make sure I had her trust. I promised her the morning after the mating that we would both wait until the time is right to tell. And it seems now is the time."

Kurunosuke rage was boiling, "Do you truly love her? Or did you just have a lust for her and used her for your own pleasure?"

Sesshomaru only shrugged, more focused on his own thoughts.

Kurunosuke was about to attack Sesshomaru, bringing his claws down to punish the bastard for treating his daughter this way, when Rei's voice carried out from the other room.

"OTOUSAN! DON'T YOU DARE HARM HIM!" Kurunosuke and Sesshomaru heard Rei warn, before she let out another scream and babies cries filled the air after hers.

* * *

After Kurunosuke exited the room, Sesshomaru stepped inside to see his mate and his children. The two rabbit youkai girls had left after the babies had been cleaned, leaving any other work to Minamo, Kagome, and Sango. When Sesshomaru had come in, Minamo pulled Sango, Kagome, and herself outside. 

Sesshomaru knelt beside the bed where Rei lay. Sheets now covered most of her body, and she was propped on a mound of pillows. Her stomach was back to its lean self again, soon after she had birthed the placenta. She smiled up at Sesshomaru tiredly, while she folded back the lapel of her kimono as two babies in Rei's arms released her breasts, finishing their first feeding.

Sesshomaru stared down at the two small newborn's face. On the female, delicate white hair reached a little bit under her chin, and had two red streaks in the bangs. A crimson crescent moon lay on her forehead, showing that she was heir to the Western and Eastern lands. Crimson stripes sat on her puffy cheeks and raced down her right arm. A small, fluffy white kitsune tail wiggled and twitched behind the baby, as large red and gold flecked eyes opened and looked at her otousan. The male looked exactly the same, only his hair was a delicate red color with white streaks in the bangs and a small, fluffy inu tail behind him.

"Her name is Kaiya..." Rei said softly to the pristine inu youkai at her side, reaching out to brush a clawed finger against the little cheek. "His name…is your choice."

Sesshomaru was silent as he thought, finally speaking. "Kenji…"

Rei smiled softly, looking down at her children. "Kaiya…and Kenji…"

Sesshomaru looked back at Rei again, "You're returning to the Western Lands with me…when you are strong again."

Rei nodded, not really in the mood to argue. She leaned against the pillows again as she watched Sesshomaru walk out. She looked down at Kaiya and Kenji in her arms, who had just gone to sleep themselves. Smiling, the tired new okasan fell asleep.

* * *

Oh yeah! A chapter done in one night! And it took up six pages! Kami-sama! I feel better now. Hope you guys liked my story, there may be a sequel, not sure. Only one or two more chapters left! Ja ne! 


	28. Farewell

Disclaimer: Once again. I do not own Inu-tachi. However, I do own Rei, Shizuka, Narasu, and all of the other characters that aren't familiar with the Inuyasha series.

Yes my faithful readers. This may be the last chapter in my story, A Fortuitous Infatuation. I promise you that I will be making another, so don't worry. Until then, enjoy my chapter.

* * *

Rei awoke to the feeling of her baby stirring in her arms, slowly opening her eyes to see that it was still night.

"Ah, Rei-sama. You are awake?"

Rei turned to her side, surprised to see Asoh sitting there. He looked tired, most likely from stress, probably from her. She winced slightly as she felt Kenji nip at her breast as he fed, Kaiya still slept peacefully, curled into her okasans bosom.

"Yes." Rei whispered, so as not to wake her sleeping child. "How are you, Asoh?"

"I'm fine…just fine." The taiyoukai replied, eyes on Kaiya and Kenji. "Just…surprised that you had already mated. And with Sesshomaru…"

Rei lowered her eyes slightly, feeling a pang of guilt in her heart. "I'm sorry…I couldn't tell anyone. I promised Sesshomaru that we would wait until the time is right."

"And I guess now is the time, is it not?" Asoh chuckled, slowly picking up Kaiya so as not to wake her. "May I?"

Rei nodded. "Go ahead." She smiled, glad that Asoh was taking the news nicely.

She watched Asoh gently bring Kaiya to his chest, rocking her slowly. She smiled softly, leaning back on her pillows. Kenji had just finished feeding and had fallen asleep once again, small bubbling noises leaving his lips.

"I wish that I…that I could've been the one to—" Asoh was stopped in the middle of his sentence as Sesshomaru walked into the infirmary.

Silence covered the room. After a moment, Asoh stood up, handing Kaiya to Rei. He turned to Sesshomaru, bowed, and left the room, sliding the door shut behind him. Sesshomaru immediately took a seat, timidly looking at his newborn children. Kaiya looked just like her father, Kenji like his mother.

Rei slowly handed Sesshomaru his children, falling back to her pillows wearily. She smiled softly as she watched Sesshomaru's cold façade fade away. He hesitantly ran a claw over each child's small cheek, amazed at how precious they were, so fragile, so beautiful. A small smile crawled onto Sesshomaru's face as Kaiya wrapped her tiny hand around his finger, a small noise leaving her mouth.

"Are you feeling better?" he finally said, looking up at his mate.

"Yes…" Rei lied, knowing that she still ached from giving birth, but she didn't want Sesshomaru to worry.

Sesshomaru glanced up at his mate, seeing the weariness in her eyes. "Tomorrow…we'll leave for the Western Lands."

Rei nodded. "Alright, I'm sure Rin and Jaken miss us very much."

Sesshomaru stared at his children once more, still in a minor stupor. After a moment, he handed them back to their okasan and stood up. "You will rest." He commanded, leaning over Rei. She stared up at him, surprised as he pressed his lips upon hers in a soft kiss. "I will see you in the morning."

With that, the taiyoukai left, leaving Rei with her children. Rei closed her eyes lightly, feeling sleep come to claim her. She yawned, pulled her children close, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Rei awoke to the faces of Inu-tachi. She would've jumped out of surprise had she not been aching. With a small sigh, she sat up on her pillows and covered her chest with her kimono, slightly embarrassed.

"Ohayo…" she murmured groggily.

"Ohayo Rei…" Kagome replied, smiling softly at her friend. "How are you feeling?"

"Just fine…I still kind of ache though…"

Miroku and Inuyasha were silent, and then Miroku spoke, knowing Inuyasha would probably blow the whole situation out of proportion.

"Sango and Kagome told us about…you and Sesshomaru."

Inuyasha growled softly as he heard his brother's name.

"I see…" Rei sat up more on her mound of pillows and sighed softly, looking from each of her friends faces. "I'm sorry…I just didn't want you all to know. I promised Sesshomaru that we would wait until the time is right."

Inuyasha sighed softly. "Well, I'm happy for you."

Rei smiled. "Thank you, Inuyasha." She looked down at her children, seeing Kagome and Sango eyeing them, and opened her arms. "Want to hold them?"

Sango and Kagome's eyes brightened as the carefully lifted the infants from their okasan and held them to their chests, squealing with delight.

"They're so cute!" both girls said, smiling brightly.

Miroku and Inuyasha both looked over, interested in the babies also. Inu-tachi spent at least half an hour playing with the babies, finally leaving the infirmary. Shortly after their departure, her parents arrived, staring at their daughter and her children.

Kami-sama…when was she going to be able to get any privacy?

"Okasan? Otousan?" She questioned.

"We're just…surprised about your pregnancy." Minamo replied, glancing at her husband.

Kurunosuke stayed silent.

"What are our grandchildren's names?" Minamo questioned, breaking the silence.

"Kaiya and Kenji." Rei proudly stated, smiling at her children. "Otousan…I'm sorry…"

Kurunosuke looked at his daughter, shaking his head. "There's no need. I understand why you didn't tell us earlier. I understand that it was all about trust."

Rei smiled at her otousan. "Thank you…Sesshomaru and I are leaving today…" she paused. "We're leaving for the Western Lands. I'll come back to visit, but…I'm staying with Sesshomaru."

Minamo smiled, nodding. "We understand. However, I will not allow you to leave just yet."

Rei tilted her head in curiosity. "Why not?"

"Because," Minamo said, her smile widening. "I'm not letting my daughter leave without seeing her wed. We will hold the wedding for you and Sesshomaru. I mean, we've prepared for a wedding, have we not?"

Rei laughed softly, hugging her okasan. "Thank you."

Kurunosuke stood up, Minamo doing the same. "It will be held this afternoon. We'll send servants up to dress you and the nurses to watch Kaiya and Kenji."

Rei nodded, leaning back onto her pillows, closing her eyes gently. Her parents left the room, quickly changing plans and sending servants off to inform Sesshomaru.

* * *

A Few Hours Later

Rei stood in front of her mirror, examining herself and calming her nerves. She wore a traditional shiro-maku and on top of that an uchikake. The uchikake was dark red color and beautiful, made of silk and silk brocade. Rich in fine embroidered patterns, the uchikake is embellished with scenes of flowers, cranes, and other nature motifs. Her hair was also styled in a bunkin-takashimada and adorned with beautiful kanzashi. In her hand were a hakoseko and a kaiken. Lastly, on her feet was a pair of silk slippers that matched her kimono perfectly.

As she stood in the mirror, Rei's smiled sadly. _Hmm, so I'm getting married…to Sesshomaru..._

_What?_ Boisterous Rei said, breaking into Rei's consciousness. _Is that supposed to be bad? I thought you wanted to marry him…_

"I do!" Rei said aloud, oblivious to it. "I just wonder how this will affect my life…"

_All will come out good in the end._ Optimistic Rei said, smiling brightly. _All you must do is listen to your heart, and depend on the power of friendship and—_

_OH SHUT UP!_ Boisterous Rei yelled, pushing away Optimistic Rei. _All your friendship and love…worthless. THE POWER YOU SPEAK OF DOESN'T EXIST!_

Rei shook her head, tuning out her arguing scruples, knowing she was odd for even having multiple scruples in her mind. Just as she did so, there was a soft tap on her door and it slid open.

"Rei-sama?" A young tora youkai popped its head into her room, bowing slightly. "It is time…once again."

Rei smiled, nodding. She pulled out her fan and held it by her side, following the tora youkai to the same door she had stood in front of the day before.

"Once again, I present…Rei-sama." A voice declared.

The door slid open and Rei walked out, slowly opening the fan as she made her way to the shrine where Sesshomaru and her parents stood. As soon as she arrived, her otousan began to speak.

"For the second time, I would like to welcome you all to the wedding of my daughter, Rei, to Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands. With this bonding, we will form camaraderie between the Western and Eastern Lands, and so, on with the ceremony."

Both Sesshomaru and Rei picked up a cup of sake, drinking nine sips, and placing the cup down at the same time. (Legend says that whoever places the cup down will die first) Next, the drink was offered to Rei's parents, in order to complete the unification of the families. (Yes, I realize that this wedding sucks, but it's traditional!)

Kurunosuke smiled brightly. "The ceremony is now complete!"

There was a loud ovation for the two newlyweds as they walked from the shrine and back into the castle. A dinner was being held right after the ceremony, but Rei and Sesshomaru felt no need to go.

* * *

"Are we…leaving now?" Rei asked, removing the kanzashi from her hair.

Sesshomaru nodded. "Bid farewell to your parents, then we will leave."

Rei nodded, walking behind Sesshomaru, surprised to see her parents in front of them as they entered the main hall.

"Trying to leave without saying goodbye to your otousan and okasan, huh?" Kurunosuke teased, walking up to his daughter and embracing her.

Minamo did the same, holding her daughter in front of her. "You've grown so much…and now you are wed…I'm so proud of you, my aijou. Please, come back and visit us soon. I'm sure our grandchildren would love to come and visit."

Rei smiled, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "I will. Goodbye…okasan…otousan."

A female rabbit youkai walked up to Rei, handing her her children. "Farewell, Rei-sama. We hope to see you return soon."

Rei nodded, taking her children and walking to Sesshomaru, who was standing outside the castle doors, Ah-Un beside him.

"Alright. Let's go."

Sesshomaru lifted Rei up by her waist and set her on top of Ah-Un, getting on the two-headed dragon himself. Rei looked back at her parents, waving to them sadly. She knew she would return, but still she felt tears well up in her eyes.

Ah-Un slowly ran to gain speed and sped off into the sky, leaving the Eastern Lands. Rei leaned her head into Sesshomaru's back, sighing softly. "Time to go home…"

* * *

Words You Probably Want To Know What The Hell They Mean:

Shiro-Maku: Shiro means white, Maku means pure. A shiro-maku is the traditional white Japanese wedding kimono which is worn underneath the uchikake.

Uchikake kimono: The traditional wedding kimono worn over the shiro-maku.

Bunkin-Takashimada: The traditional Japanese marriage hairstyle.

Kanzashi: Beautiful gold combs and accessories used in the bunkin-takashimada.

Hakoseko: A small purse style sack carried with the bride to the shrine that is said to bring good luck.

Kaiken: A small encased sword carried with the bride to the shrine that is said to bring good luck.

* * *

Yeah, that's it. I know the ending was Disneyfied, but I didn't know how to end this. Yes, it's over my ever faithful readers. I hope you enjoyed my story! Look out for other fanfics by me! I will be making some! My next fanfic will be Harry Potter, so look for it! I love you all, ja ne! 


	29. Coming Back!

So I haven't died completely, though it's been like 5 years since my last...chapter I spose. But, I've recently found all of my old abandoned stories, fanfics, everything, and I want to finish them, to get back to writing. I think it has to do with almost about to graduate from college and moving on to the real world. I still want to have my old loves and hobbies with me when I turn 22 and onward...

So, I'm coming back for a while to finish my stories and maybe make some new ones, who knows. Yay!


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